Aufwiedersehen

If only I knew how to say farewell in Tagalog! or more importantly until we see each other again (thanks High school German) But soon my friends…fingers crossed…we will know the words and we will be back seeing your beautiful faces in the flesh (irl young ones). And more than ta-ta, off we go!

In the lead up there have been a cascade of to dos that have been alternately exciting and tedious as we check them off. A whirlwind and a slog. Not to begrudge, because heaven knows this is a gift of a lifetime and it’s all in how you look at it. So what with our over abundance of good fortune it’s a shame to waste the view on the worries and boredoms. But don’t worry, I know sometimes those are some of the funniest tales, so we won’t leave it all out. If you’ve been around us at all you’ve already heard about the multiple road trips to Canada for vaccines, the packing and renting, the flights and housing, the hobo lifestyle of our summer digs (ok just living in cramped spaces and out of suitcases), last minute high heel purchases for weddings because everything you own is packed, and when you’ve lost THOSE replacement shoes for the next wedding, play that PNW card and wear the Birkenstocks! I know, real hardships, cue eye roll.

Of course I hope you’ve also heard of our amazing staycations, the generosity of our hosts, the fun of stripping a house and still throwing parties. Hope you’ve shared games and drinks and laughs with us on beaches and boats and around campfires. Thank you to everyone who has been sending us wishes for safe travels and feting us off in style. We don’t know what we’d do without all the love and encouragement.

I’ve always felt I’ve been able to hold a multitude of contradictions within, as I’m sure we all do, but today is filled to the brim: excitement and trepidation, gratitude and…well not the opposite of that…just a sense of security in the lovely people we are surrounded with and the confidence in the loveliness of people all over this world…while worrying about the safety of my littles. Feeling completely confident we are about to have the most amazing time while I am staving off a panic attack that I may have misread the fine print on this visa business…please please let us in PI!!

So I guess there is much more of the good than the bad. And what more could we wish? I am ever so thankful to be off to see this wide world with this amazing crew: Lucky doesn’t begin to cover it 🙂

I like to say “suck the marrow out of life!” and I think Chad thought it a lovely sentiment but he mostly liked it because the consumption of marrow is not new, and definitely a joy, so what better quote for our food themed family travel moniker?

I did want to give credit to Thoreau and his full thought. And while I’m not sure we are looking for such austere roots to living, I do hope we will be living fully, enjoying each day and sucking out the joy and experience we can find in each moment.

I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms.

–Thoreau