Reality

Snap back to reality, back to reality...So the rap song echoes in our heads as we have now been home for three weeks and routine is slowly finding us. We would be lying if we said we weren't glad to be home, but we continually find ourselves wondering how 7 months could possibly have gone by so fast. It will take years to fully process what we experienced and thankfully we have plenty of friends and family willing to wade through our stories and thousands of pictures with us.

We are living in Old Town, a neighborhood just north of downtown, and are loving it. Besides a plethora of restaurants and bars, Lake Michigan is only ¼ mile away. We are both back to work at Mercy Home, Deb is working on plans to open a bakery there and employ our youth. Joe is now a project manager and leading youth on trips to Lake of the Ozarks, the Boundary Waters and an international trip to Ireland over the course of the summer. Work is keeping us busy, but we often sit back at night and reminisce about our travels. We miss many things about being on the road, namely having no schedule, agenda or meetings to attend. Wandering into unknown neighborhoods and interacting with people from another country are possible in Chicago, but it is not quite the same. We don't miss carrying all of our belongings on our back and we don't miss sleeping in different beds each night.

We miss seeing and being with each other for the better part of each day. It is very weird to part ways in the morning and not see each other until dinner. Spending the last 7 months together was one of the biggest blessings of the whole trip. We are proud to say that all of the souvenirs we purchased and shipped home made it back, wine from Italy, suits from Thailand and Vietnam along with t-shirts and other items from across Europe. Our house is soon going to be filled with pictures that we took from all over the world. The hardest part has been deciding which ones to frame.

A year ago we were eagerly awaiting to hear if we had been accepted into the teaching program and having no idea what we might be getting into. Well, we most definitely are happy that we got accepted and traveled as extensively as we did. It was certainly an incredible trip and one that we might try to replicate one day. We appreciate all those that followed us on the blog and supported us during our time away. This is the last post as our lives will get significantly less interesting each day. If you have ever considered traveling or know someone that is, have them give us a call.

It is most definitely true what Ferris Bueller said "if you don't take time to stop and smell the roses, life will pass you by." Well, get on with it. The world awaits!

Lots of love.

Deb and Joe