Wish I had good news about Jake, but the good news hasn't happened yet. However, I'd like to share an essay written for Tim, who has been so valient in trying to hook back up with his step-daughter's dog. Here's what his step-daughter wrote about it. It moved me, and I wanted to share with everyone who has helped and commented. It's funny how you never really see the real heroes in your life. Everyone is so caught up in this stereo-type that the only way to be a hero is to have superpowers. I've recently learned that that's far from the truth. Explain this; maybe Superman can save you from a house fire, but can he really show love and affection towards you? Let me share my story with you to show you who the real heroes in life are. I had just come home from a ski trip a few days after New Year's. Little did I know what was really going on while I was on my happy little ski trip. My mom and step-dad went to Florida with my two dogs, Jake and Lucy, while I was skiing. One night, my mom let the dogs outside into the fenced-in yard. The problem was, the fence had a hole that Jake escaped through. Everyone was horrified to find this out and searched for days and days. Jake was no where to be found. After four extra days, they had to come home with only Lucy. Once all of this had happened, only one person changed the way I looked at my loss. That would be my step-dad, Tim, and also my hero. He knew how heartbreaking this was for the whole family. So, a few days later, he skipped his full time job as a tennis coach, and went back to Florida. Tim put up posters, went on the radio, and even got a news station to do an interview on Jake for forty-five minutes. By now, everyone in Florida knew who Jake was. Search parties went everywhere, but still no one could find him. And once again, Tim came home with no Jake. Recently, Tim has gone again and been able to see him, but he was too far to snatch. We know now where he is staying, but he is too far back in the forest. Right now, Tim is once again in Florida searching for the dog I love so much. Everyday, we get closer and closer to finding him, and soon enough, he'll be rolling around in the grass again. But even if he doesn't get Jake back, I will still love him, because no one has ever done anything as thoughtful for me as that. So as you can see, here's a real hero, who instead of a cape, has Nike clothes, and traded his cool automobile for a Nissan Maxima. But I bet he could take down Superman in a heartbeat. It's not the flashy gadget and suit that makes a superhero, it's the compassion, courage, and love in that person's heart that make the true hero. And with that, all I ask is next time you're asked who your hero is, just sit down and look around before answering.

Got a big ole silly grin from seeing that Carol! I know how you miss them and bet you were grinning from ear to ear also!!

New baby is due November 15th....so far they don't know if it is a boy or girl. But DDIL say the baby is very active. The actual flight from San Francisco to Tokyo is 11 hours but we had to fly to SFO on a commuter plane. So by the time we reached our kids house we had been up almost 24 hours. The trip home was about 10 hours but we missed our connecting flight to home by five minutes due to having wait for baggage, go thru customs and go through security again....that took over an hour. The plane was still at the gate but the gate was closed so we had to wait three more hours to catch the flight.....and then it was 30 minutes late due to mechanical trouble. It took us a long time to get over jet lag! But seeing Jake and his parents were worth the hassle!

Thanks, everyone for you nice compliments! DS is in NYC already....has been a week and will be there two more weeks. Then he will go back to Tokyo to help finish up things there. They will be leaving Tokyo very early August. I am happy for me they are moving back but sad for DDIL and the kids. They will be so far away from both sets of grandparents. DS works for Citibank.....does something with computer soft ware and somehow manages the big portfolios for Japanese clients. He did work for Merrill Lynch for a long time but Citibank lured him away. Just in the nick of time. Jake's third birthday is August 3rd......first birthday in NYC, 2nd birthday in Tokyo and not sure where he will celebrate his third. They could have moved to Hong Kong....glad they chose NYC.