Leavin' on a Jet Plane...(Part 1)

Yep, we are FINALLY on our way to Okinawa. Only two months late, but what PCS isn't complete without some sort of set back. It's 1:20am and I'm writing this from a bench in SeaTac airport. Our plane boards in just less then an hour. So far, the trip from Northwest Florida to Seattle, WA has gone very smoothly. (Knock on wood!) We were able to fly from New Orleans to SeaTac on Monday and site see around the Seattle area for the last two days. I have several pictures that I'll share in another post. I'm hoping to have time next week while waiting on a house to update more.
But now we're here, and in less 18 hours we'll be in Okinawa. It seems surreal. We found out about this PCS over 7 months ago, but that fact that we're down to mere hours is a bit overwhelming. Here's a little about how the entire process works:

When you arrive, you'll check in at AMC counter (Air Mobility Command). It was on the 4th floor and very easy to find, just follow all the young men with buzz cuts and seabags! As far as luggage goes, we had a slight ordeal, but nothing major. You're allowed 2 checked bags and 1 carry on each. The checked bags can be up to 70 pounds, but anything from 71-100 pounds will cost you an extra $112. Anything over 100 pounds isn't allowed at all. Unfortunately David's seabag was 96 pounds, but the wonderful lady at the counter let us rearrange some bags and get them all under the allowed weight. At this point make sure you have your orders, military ID, and passport. As I was researching I'd heard conflicting things. Some say passports aren't necessary unless you plan to travel off the island while there, and others say they are. They did ask for mine, so I was glad I forked over the $150 to get one. You'll get a sheet of paperwork to fill out with the service member and dependents name, social, date of birth, and rank. I should also add that David had a garment bag that they let him carry on in addiction to his backpack.

Once the bags were checked, we went through security, which was exactly like any other security screening at the airport. After that we went on the search for yen. But wouldn't you know the exchange hours are 5am-5pm. There may be other currency exchanges in SeaTac, but we never did find one. I suggest getting yen as soon as possible, since know we'll have to wait until we arrive in Okinawa to get any. My friend who just got there said she didn't "need" any yen, but it's convenient to have for the layover.

I'm still not sure where we're sitting on the plane or even how long the flight will be. (I'll update that in the second post.)

So...that's about it until we get one plane. Next time you hear from me I'll be an Okinawa resident!