A Bumpy Re-Entry

We’ve been home for a week. It feels like a month. Re-entry from a great vacation is always challenging, but this one has been especially hard. We were in Airplane Mode for over a month (seriously – it’s how we didn’t spend a fortune on internet access). It was a bit shocking to be fully connected again. Literally and psychologically.

The past two months of travel have been incredible. I’m still stunned by all that we saw, ate, drank, smelled, gawked at, and thought about. We went places I never imagined I would love (Sweden). We ate food I never considered touching my lips (octopus). We touched parts of Earth I thought were off-limits (Namibian sand dunes).

Yep, I tried it. The taste wasn't bad -
it was in a tomato-based sauce. It was
the texture that got me. It was very
spring-y and snappy. It was impossible
not to think of it being an octopus.

Living on a cruise ship for a month was surprisingly easy. We fell into a much-needed routine pretty quickly. It was fabulous having access to food whenever I wanted it; without a kitchen since March, eating has been ridiculously complicated. It was also nothing short of heavenly to be able to package up our laundry on a whim and have it returned clean a few days later (brand loyalty pays off). No trudging outside. No remembering to bring my house key. No checking the weather report first. Sending out our laundry was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip!

Not a lot fit in each bag, so I handed
over a bag every couple of days.
Keeping track of our laundry orders
became a hobby. Only lost one t-shirt!

Rob and I were both surprised that we did not want our part of the cruise to end. We longed to stay in D423 and continue on to Iceland and across the Atlantic to Canada. We loved the escape, the way of life, the constantly changing scenery, the “free” drinks, the built-in exercise of climbing multiple flights of stairs each day, the mostly daily ice cream cones, the seemingly endless hot water for showers. Our eyes and minds are now open to longer cruises. This is an exciting and dangerous discovery!

Us on our last bus tour. Pretty much summed it up.

We didn’t make any new friends during our travels, other than Itzi who guided us around Spain. We kept to ourselves, eavesdropped, stayed anonymous, and deftly flew deep under the radar. We love people, but peopling takes a lot of energy. At least the all-in, fully-engaged way we do it. We needed the break and it was lovely.

Us blissfully alone not meeting new
people. I asked Rob to stop and take this
photo in Stockholm after telling him
I was going to miss wandering European
cities with him. 

While we were gone, life still happened. Tim plugged along (update coming soon) without too much drama. Bills arrived electronically, making me grateful for online banking. A jury summons was deferred. A nephew was born. The January arrival of another family member was announced. Rob’s dad died.

Dad was suspicious of social media. Out of respect for his memory, I will simply say that we knew his passing was a possibility when we left, but it was still incredibly hard to be so far away when it happened. But, as He does, God showed up at just the right time in just the right way. The day before Dad died, Rob and I were in Visby, Sweden. We had no plans for the day, so we just wandered around and fell in love with the small, Nordic island of Gotland.

Along the way, we found a 13th century stone church. It was simple, beautiful, quiet, peaceful. Without planning it or discussing it, Rob and I each talked to God in that church, thanking Him, trusting Him, and releasing our hearts to Him. Between that and our last visit with Dad shortly before we left, Rob and I both have peace. And we unequivocally know that Dad does, too

St. Mary's Cathedral in Visby, Sweden will always
have a very special place in my heart and memories.

So we are back.

A number of people have asked where we are going next, what’s our next cruise, what travel plans are on the radar. Normally we’d have an answer. And we will soon. Right now, we’re trying to bask in the incredible memories of two trips of a lifetime, 3,049 photos, 32 blog posts, and a meaningful collection of magnets that will eventually make their home on our new fridge in our new kitchen.

Thank you for coming along for the ride. 

Each magnet was carefully chosen
to reflect what resonated with me in
the various cities. The duck magnet
was found in a hide-and-seek game
on the cruise ship.