And That Was the Day I Discovered Time Travel

All of the major events of this week center around one focal point, the start of my 2-week contract break and my first trip to the US in a year.  I have just experienced, in terms of hours, the longest day of my life.  Where the average day consists of 24 hours, August 25th, 2013 has already consisted of 35 hours (with 2 more hours to go until it is complete).  Flying really is an amazing process, isn't it?  By crossing enough time zones across the globe, I could have extended my day even further (though I would have overshot the US and been thoroughly disappointed).
Not counting the part of my day which consisted of lying in bed anticipating waking up, rather than sleeping, my day began with my alarm clock waking me up at 5am to shower, grab a taxi, and get to Taoyuan airport for my 9:10 departure (I must say, while I am known for my extreme lack of punctuality most of the time, I am always good at arriving at airports early).
I only had one layover, so just shy of 3 hours after departure (around 1:45pm) I had completed leg-one of my journey and had arrived in Tokyo, Japan.  Here I had a two-hour break, free of the confined spaces offered on airplanes (which I spent doing schoolwork...some vacation, eh?) then boarded for my 5:50 departure to Minneapolis, Minnesota.
My overall flight to the US took approximately 11 hours, which is actually a shorter flight than I had remembered, as well as a shorter time than people would have predicted.  Don't get me wrong, 11 hours is still the bulk of your day, but spent with sleep and movies, the time didn't drag at all.
So then, 11 hours later (but 1 hour prior to my arrival in Japan if you consider the time zones, I arrived in the Twin Cities).  I haven't fully processed being home yet, maybe because it is only a short visit home, or maybe because I have only seen my family since my arrival.  What I know right now is that, I am happy to be here, I am exhausted, and everyone around me speaks English, which is just strange after a year abroad.
My first 'adventure' after arriving in the US was what I am now titling 'The Great Exchange Debacle'.   I forgot to exchange my foreign currency for US dollars when I arrived at the airport (even though I told myself repeatedly not to), so after arriving home from the airport, my mother and I turned around and headed back downtown to obtain money.  On the way I realized I had forgotten my ID, which made it impossible to complete the exchange, so, after waiting in line, then unsuccessfully completing the transaction, I returned to the car and sent my mother to exchange the money for me (since she had an ID).  No more than 5 minutes after sending her inside (in a country where I had no cell phone, so the possibility of mobile communication wasn't an option), I found my passport along side my chair.  So, it appears that the majority of my exchange debacle could have been prevented with a little more awareness of my surroundings.
The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent at a reunion with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins from both sides of the family.  It was great to see everyone again.  I don't look forward to how quickly this trip is going to fly by.

My family and I in the backyard (I'm sitting, I'm not really that much shorter than everyone...well, yes I am)

Some of the girl cousins, showing off how to smile

These good-looking people are my grandparents (mom's side)