April 2, 2026
The night before, we had sorted and re-packed our suitcases
for the trip home. We put the dirty clothes in one and the few remaining clean
ones in the other. We also tried to even out the weight. We took ten books. Two
were for the raffle at the party. Noriko ordered one. We gave another to one of
our Japanese “kids.” We still had six, so we split them between our two
suitcases.
Our sweet room support clerk, Setsuko Washio, had been off
the previous two days, so we hadn’t seen her. However, she was supposed to be back
on this day, so we left one out and signed it for her.
We savored one last breakfast and watched all the families
preparing for their day in the park.
As we walked toward the elevator, I spotted Setsuko. She saw
me about the same time and ran over to say hello. We talked for a couple of
minutes while Larry went upstairs to pick up the book we had signed for her.
When we gave it to her, she said, “Oh, thank you! I was going to ask where I
could get a copy.” Sadly, we did not take a picture of her.
We spoke for a while longer, and then we returned to the
room to complete our last preparations. We had to check out by 11:30, so we
took the bags downstairs, checked out, and left our bags in the storage area.
We would not be picked up until about 3:00 by the airport transportation
company.
We took a last, long walk around CityWalk and over to the
front of the park. We hadn’t planned to go into the park on this trip. Two
years before, we had gone with friends and had seen all the new rides. We’d
also checked to be sure our names were still on the windows above the candy
store next to the main lagoon. They were.
Many of the original attractions (like E.T., Backdraft, T-2,
Animal Actors Stage, the Western Stunt Show—in fact the whole Western area)
were gone. The team windows, which had been on those buildings, were also gone.
Larry’s major attractions—JAWS, WaterWorld, and Jurassic Park—as well as the
rest of his area, were still intact. On that trip, Jurassic Park was closed for
refurbishment, and we couldn’t get to the WaterWorld show, but we did ride on
JAWS and saw his “footprints” on the beach of Amity Island.
This trip was about people. Our days were packed with visits
with our Japanese “kids,” good friends, and teammates. I loved every minute of
it!
We walked around the Universal Store once more, but we
didn’t see anything else we needed to buy.
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at Starbucks. I
didn’t need any more mugs. We already had two from Osaka (one from our original
stay there and another from the 10th anniversary trip in 2011), but
I had seen a Japan mug with the sakura (cherry blossoms) on it. Since
our return trips had all occurred in March, they had been in bloom for each
trip. This one was no exception. Besides, I wanted another memento from this
trip…
I had just bought my mug when Atsuko Sera stopped by. So, another mini-reunion.
Atsuko Sera, me, Lou
She had to catch a train, and Lou was waiting for his wife
and daughter. Larry brought our cappuccinos just before they arrived. Lou said they
were making one more pass at the stores to be sure they hadn’t missed a retail
opportunity!
They were leaving at the same time we were, so we all walked
back to the hotel and sat in the lobby. He said he thought he should read our
book again and asked if he could buy one.
Larry got one out of his bag in the storage area and brought
it over to us.
When it was close to time for our pick-up, we got our bags
and made our way out to the front waiting area. Setsuko was working there, so
we had a couple of minutes to spend with her before our car showed up. Lou’s
arrived just ahead of ours.
We made good time getting to the airport, checked in, and
then headed for our gate. When we got there, we were surprised to see George
and Donna Johnson. Turned out, they were on the same flight. We had a wait since
the plane didn’t leave until close to six, so we sat and talked.
Finally, it was time to board. The process went smoothly. We
waved good-bye to the Johnsons since they were in a different area of the
plane. Our flight ended in L.A., and they had a connecting flight to catch once
we landed.
The trip home was uneventful. I watched a couple of movies,
but then I plugged in my iPod and listened to music. I think I dozed for a
while.
Since we were now headed east, we picked up the day we had
lost on the way over and landed in the morning of the same day.
Customs was easy, and it didn’t take long to leave the
airport. Chris (our driver) was there waiting for us.
On the way home, we told him all about our trip.
Once we got inside the house, Larry took the bag with our
dirty laundry to the garage and started a load.
I took the other bag upstairs on the lift. Best investment
we’ve made in the house in years.
I unloaded the toiletries and other items we would need but
left the rest for the morning.
There wasn’t much to eat in the house since had tried to use
up everything before we left. Larry got some fast food, and we had a small
meal.
It wasn’t yet time to sleep, but the time change had caught
up to us. We went to bed early.
April 3, 2026
This was Larry’s birthday, but we spent it unpacking and
putting things away. Got most everything done.
I put on my new USJ 25th Anniversary shirt, and Larry took a picture. I look like I’m frowning, but it was bright in the sunshine.
That evening was Flick Fellowship, where we meet with a
group and discuss a movie. Since we had left the house clean before we left,
and the cleaners had come on the 1st, we didn’t have to do much
except set out the extra chairs and get our food for the potluck meal. I also
bought a small ice cream cake for Larry’s birthday. For this meeting, we had
decided to show the DVD of a movie I loved, Rental Family. I had watched
it again a couple of times on the plane and still loved it. So did the rest of
the group.
But our day wasn’t quite over.
We had to drive to San Juan to pick up my cousins, Linda
& David Salmon, who live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They had spent the
previous week with their son and his family seeing Disneyland and Universal. That
day was their Universal day, and they caught the Metro train from there to San
Juan. They got in around eleven p.m.
Larry drove around while I waited for their train. It wasn’t
a long wait.
We were so glad to see them.
They were tired from their busy week and day, and we hadn’t
quite adjusted to the time change, so we all went to bed as soon as we got
home.
April 4, 2026
Spent the day with the cousins catching up. Lots to talk
about. They were about to undertake a foreign mission. Dave explained it to us.
He is an attorney, so he would be helping expats deal with legal issues. Turns
out, one of my dear high school friends had done exactly the same thing a
couple of years earlier. I decided to call him, and I did.
As always, I loved hearing his voice and knowing he was well
and happy. I asked if he would talk to Linda and David and answer their
questions. Because he genuinely is one of the nice guys, he said he’d be glad
to, so they went into the next room and talked with him for a while. Very
grateful for terrific friends!
That night, I had made reservations at the Wind and Sea Restaurant for the four of us to celebrate Larry’s birthday together. We had a terrific meal (as always).
David, Linda, me and Larry. Happy
birthday!
We didn’t cut his cake until the next day. They stayed a
couple more days, including Easter Sunday. We always enjoy being with them.
Their visit was the perfect way to end a great trip.
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