Taking it back to February.
I was supposed to keep this updated with photos and updates of our recent PCS (permanent change of station).  We left Japan on February 16th, 2010.  The flight was scheduled to leave Yokota AB, head to Misawa AB, then to Anchorage, Alaska, and final destination Seattle, Washington.  While we waited in Misawa for refuel and had lunch from a hot lunch truck parked outside, we got news that the flight would skip Alaska and head straight to Seattle.  That was awesome news for us.  Less travel is always good!  The kids were doing great.  No complaining.  They were still excited to be going to a new place.  I was just hoping that excitement wouldn't wear down.  The long flight went pretty well.  It was landing back in the United States that wasn't so wonderful.  Being back in the U.S. was such a great feeling, but the experience was far from great.  Before we left Japan, we made reservations on Orbitz.com for a hotel, which turned out to be a motel type place.  The shuttle was a run down van that was obviously due for a tune up or overhaul in my opinion.  The driver wasn't so bad, but when we pulled up to the place, I already knew I was NOT staying there.  There was a old musty smell at the front door when it swung open.  Yucky!!  We were exhausted so my husband said, lets check in, wash up and find a place to eat.  We got in the room and even the kids didn't want to touch anything.  It was disgusting.  The window wouldn't shut all the way, the linens looked used and the staff seemed like they hated their jobs.  There was dirty dishes on the floor outside of the door of the next room.  I refused to stay there.  AM1 went to the front desk and told them we were uncomfortable there, listed the problems and unacceptable, and requested the driver take us back to the airport.  We called Orbitz.com which was no help at all.  We explained that we didn't want any problems or confrontation because there were thug like folks hanging out with the staff and we didn't need any problems.  The dumb Orbitz.com person called the hotel and told them we were not satisfied and demanded our money back.  We didn't want our money back, nor did we want to deal with the hotel staff.  AM1 already told the staff that we just wanted to go back to the airport to try to catch an earlier flight.  Then the staff brought up the Orbitz.com person and what they told them.  Goodness!  The driver was kind enough to take us back to the airport without any problems.  As we were taking our stuff back out to the van, J1 was holding the door for me to come through and a guy about 19 or 20 years old tries to talk to her.  She freaks out and lets the door go.  We were welcomed back to the states with what will be our reality, I'm assuming. 

We got back to the airport, used payphones to call other hotels and finally found one.  It wasn't much better than the first, but the staff was really nice, the room was a little musty, but we were in walking distance of a Denny's restaurant.  Thank goodness, because we were starving.  AM1 didn't want to leave the luggage in the room, so he sent us to eat and told us to bring him back something.  Our first night in the United States was such a tough one, but we were still glad to back.