Our Momentary Lapse of Reason: There’s no place like home!

Stats:
Destination: The Good ole U S of A
Days spent: 1 year and counting
Best of: Family, friends and the greatest country in the world!
Worst of: Return to reality and lack of financing to continue our journey
As the adage goes “All things must come to an end” and so too does this chapter of our lives. From leaving Denver in June of 08’ till boarding that plane in Beijing in June of 10’ we had an amazing journey that few ever venture or have the ability to take. We consider ourselves very lucky to have been able to do this. Our thanks to so many friends and family who have not only supported us emotionally, but at times given us a warm bed and a meal.
Taking a journey such as this was no quick decision nor was it an easy one. We both walked away from well paying jobs, sold our house just as the market was beginning to fall, and watched our 401K’s dwindle as the markets dipped all the while spending our ‘trip’ savings. There were times when we thought that perhaps we should quit early, but we kept going and trusted that we would be ok and the markets would bounce back.
If you have been keeping up with the math, you will realize that this ‘final’ post is coming well after the actual trip ended. Yes, I know, I am quite the procrastinator and there is no one to blame but myself for that. “So what the hell took you so long?” you might ask.
Since our return to the states in the summer of 10’ we have been quite busy. After a lot of deliberation and with the support of Tracy, I decided to return to school. While I enjoyed the work at Whole Foods and the people who work there are an amazing group of people, I felt that a change was in order. I just completed my AA in Accounting at Lake Region State College in Devils Lake and am now studying New Media/Web Design at North Dakota State University. I hope to eventually go freelance or start my own firm and be able to be anywhere in the world so long as we have an Internet connection.
Tracy is now a partner of a translation agency that handles survey translations. Since she is already working from home we have a unique opportunity to do something that most people don’t have the opportunity to do.
We hope to continue our travels, only this time a little slower. Our intention is to be able to work and travel at the same time. While I think that America will always be home, we have a disease that has no cure. The travel bug has bitten and infected us with an insatiable thirst for adventure and exploration. Our travel days are long from being over as we plan what our next steps in life will be after I graduate. Who knows, only time will tell but so far our life’s journey has been nothing short of amazing and I am excited to see what the future holds.
I leave this blog…at least for now…with two of my favorite quotes. One is a challenge to explore the world around you and the other is to explore the world within you. I am sure you have heard these two quotes before but it wasn’t until after this trip that they now have new meaning for me.