July 2020

I felt pretty capable prepping to move (see my moving day musings) but that post made it look like I did everything alone. The truth is, without the incredible generosity of so many close friends, my ability to make this mission happen would have stalled on the tracks like the Hachi on its’ first trip out. First, that trip to drop the car off for export required an additional player to come along behind me to drive me back. She did this even with an out of town guest in tow. (Huge thank you to her.) Her husband also stayed on call to help me with anything too high up or heavy to move in my delicate condition. (Many thanks to him.) As the video showed in my moving day post, without the collective squadron family hoisting the deck away, my house would never pass the exit inspection. 

Then, with reports out about China about a new Corona virus popping up in Japan and Korea, I started to get a little concerned. My final three weeks in Japan were spent managing the Crisis Action Team and preparing the base for a Public Health Emergency. A week before departure, US Air Force Bases in South Korea closed down travel into and out of the country. I feared that Japanese bases would follow suit if additional cases popped up. At this point the US felt like the safest place for myself and my little embryo. The only real danger appeared to be in Seattle, at airports and in nursing homes. 

Luckily, one of the members of the Crisis Action Team prides himself on being a bit of a doomsday prepper and provided a coveted N95 mask, charcoal mask, hand sanitizer and pair of gloves for my journey through SEATAC. Big thank you to him! Armed with my supplies I felt ready wallow in the contagion with the masses.

Getting checked into the airport on base took two days. Two days of carting my 100lb dog and her giant airline crate along with my 30lb dog and his crate to the terminal to get checked in and weighed. Tiny Japanese cars and a single person would require no less than three trips carrying the dogs and their accoutrements. Luckily, friends are more like family at Yokota and my dear friend showed up with barely a moments notice to help me assemble crates and transport animals. (Huge thank you to her!) The process was a little sketchy. They never printed a bar code or boarding pass or so much as gave me a sticker to put on the crates. So the next day when they told me just to leave the dogs in their crates off to the side of the main lobby, I was certain they would be forgotten. 

Another friend offered to stay in the lobby until he saw the dogs get loaded and sent me a text message once he confirmed their status on the flight. (Huge thank you to him). Now, masked and relieved, I relaxed in my seat and practiced some 3 part breathing. I said a prayer of gratitude for the friends and great times the assignment provided me and set sights on the next task. 

Next task, new assistant. My aforementioned 100 lb dog is too heavy for commercial airlines and my 30 lb dog’s smushed faced puts him on the breed ban for flights. So the only remaining option required driving from Seattle Airport to Atlanta in a rental big enough for all my friends or at least all my most prized possessions. Chris lucked out with a busy flying schedule so my mother agreed to help me with the drive.

After immigration and customs with the dogs, find Mom, pick up rental mini-van, break down crate and load up for the drive. She met me with a sweet friend of her own who’d agreed to help by letting Mom stay with her for a few days prior to my arrival. Mom’s friend picked up her own mother from the nursing home and we all went to lunch for sushi. (Of course the only thing a pregnant woman wants after arriving from Japan). About four days later we realized that my coming from Japan, three of us coming from SEATAC airport and going to lunch with an older woman from a nursing home was about the worst thing we could have done. Don’t judge hindsight is 20/20.  

Looking back, although we experienced beautiful weather, easy traffic and little drama, it sort of felt like ascending the river in Heart of Darkness. Each stop revealed worse news about the virus, increased paranoia and decreased products in stores. The jet lag made the drive grueling and somehow both my mother and I came down with some sort of cold…surely not THE virus. 

By the time we arrived in Atlanta, my husband got home from a trip with United and readily took care of us…from a distance. He brought us food, took care of the dogs and set us up with extra cleaning supplies. In the 4 weeks of quarantine that followed, more friends dropped off groceries and loaned us furniture or kitchen wares since we had 1 bed and one pan in the house. 

The importance of building a tribe regularly comes up as advice for pregnant women and new mothers. In general I try not to burden others with my problems, either with emotional or literal baggage. Never pack a bag you cannot handle yourself. However, this adventure forced me to open up and ask for assistance. To my pleasant surprise everyone stepped up and work with me to help get this show on the road. I hope to remember this lesson when it’s time to go back to work and my husband deploys a few months after the babe is born. 

In addition to thanking all the people who had my back, I want to point out that back pain presents one of the most common complaint during pregnancy. Have your own back by strengthening your hip stability in this prenatal flow.