In my last segment of A Day in the Life of a Basketball Wife, I gave you all a glimpse into what a game day is like in the Jones household. Game days can be hectic, but not nearly as hectic as the days leading up to an international move. This past Sunday, my husband and I moved to Chiba, Japan, a suburb located 40 minutes outside of Tokyo. We will be living in Japan for the next 6 months as my husband plays for the Chiba Jets this season and we are so excited to explore and learn as we experience a new country together. Here’s a glimpse into a few days in my life as a basketball wife leading up to the move to Japan:
FRIDAY, November 13, 2015
7:30am – Good morning! Naturally the first thing I do is check my phone and social media sites before heading to the bathroom to brush my teeth and shower.
8am – Cook breakfast – I’ve been on a major pancake binge!!!
8:30am – Do some reading for school…
10am – My husband joins me downstairs. I heat up his breakfast and he informs me that his agent called to let us know that we’ve officially signed for the season and we will be leaving for Japan within the next 48 hours. I, naturally, go into panic mode as I mentally list everything I need to do before we leave town.
10:30am – My mom arrives to pick me up. We run errands to pick up odds and ends that we’ll need to take with us.
11am – It dawns on me that I haven’t said goodbye to my family! I call my sister to ask if we can have a last minute family dinner so that I can see everyone before we leave.
11:30am – Arrive back at home and start packing (with my mom’s help, thank goodness).
1pm –Mommy and I head out to lunch at Atlanta Fish Market (they have the BEST calamari).
3:30pm – I drive up to Duluth to pick my niece up from school. I’m so thankful for some one-on-one time with her before I leave. It’s crazy to me that the next time I see her, she will be 16 years old. Time flies!!!
5pm – My husband and I arrive at my mom’s house for family dinner. I prepare the green bean casserole and some cupcakes for dessert.
7pm – We sit down for family dinner and feast on fried chicken, green bean casserole, deviled eggs, and squash.
9pm – I say the hardest goodbye as I give hugs and kisses to my niece, nephew, sister, and God mother. It’s super hard to be away from them for months at a time and I hate that I’ll miss spending the holidays with my family.
9:30pm – My husband and I leave my mom’s and head out for drinks with some friends.
1am – We arrive home and I go straight to bed! It’s been a LONG day.
SATURDAY, November 14, 2015
8am – Rise and shine! There’s no time to check my social media this morning so I get up, get myself together, and immediately continue packing.
10am – We receive an email with our flight confirmation for the next day, select our seats, and start sending over the information the team needs to finalize our visas.
11am – The hubby and I head out of the house to run a few errands to get things we need for overseas.
1:30pm – I head to my salon, Nubiance Salon and Spa, for one last appointment with my fabulous hair stylist (whose family happens to be from the same city in Japan we are moving to – small world). Sanae and I chat and she tells me everything she knows about life in Japan while she slays my tresses.
3pm – I head back home to finish packing.
5pm – I’ve been majorly neglecting my school work so I sit down at my computer to do some catch up work.
7pm –My husband’s ex teammate and his wife come over for dinner and drinks. We pick up Fat Matt’s (best barbecue in Atlanta, if you ask me) and enjoy an evening of conversation and laughter with a couple we’ve become pretty close with, which we definitely needed before heading across the world.
12:30am – We say goodbye to our friends and I get back to work. I clean out our refrigerator and pack my carry on bag for our trip tomorrow.
1:30pm – Another long day! I’m super happy to be in my bed. Goodnight world.
SUNDAY, November 15, 2015
7:30am – I wake up before my alarm goes off (as I often do when I’m excited or anxious), shower, and get dressed.
8am – My husband and I pack last minute items.
8:15am – We do a sweep of our house to make sure everything is turned off and the alarm is on before heading out the door.
8:30am – We say goodbye to our home and leave for airport.
9am – We arrive at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. The first thing we do is check the weight of our bags on the industrial size scale in the international terminal and transfer items to empty bag to ensure nothing is overweight (last year, we paid more than $1500 is overweight luggage fees and we are NOT trying to do that again). We get all checked in for our flight (I’m happy to announce that this year we only spend $400 in luggage fees – we’re getting the hang of this).
9:15am – We hug my mom goodbye (I’m cool and collected because I know I’ll be seeing her again in a few weeks when she comes to visit) and head through security (thank God for TSA pre-check).
9:30am – I remind my husband that we should get some Japanese Yen to get us started, so we stop at a currency exchange counter.
9:45am – We have a quick breakfast before heading to our gate.
10:15am –It’s time to board our flight!!!
11am – …and we’re off to our new home! Japan, here we come.
I’m happy to announce that we made it safely to our new home and are getting acclimated and adjusted. I hope you enjoyed getting another glimpse into a few days in my life and that you continue to read LiveLifeWell to hear more about our experiences in Japan.
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