So What Now?

I had been wanting to take a vacation for months. I fantasized about getting away and getting out of our normal daily routine. I wanted so badly to reconnect with Luke and with the kids. Two and a half months out of the country would fix that, right?

The funny thing? The further away we got from any sort of routine, the more I missed it. Typical girl…never satisfied:)  If I learned anything about myself on this trip, I learned that I do in fact need a routine to feel productive. Go figure.

People keep asking us where our favorite place to visit was. That’s a toughie…

I LOVED Ireland. For its Guinness and little tastes of Jameson. For the small glimpses into people’s lives that were so different from mine. For the feeling I felt when I caught a glimpse of it for the first time out of the airplane window and said to myself, I can’t believe we’re here! For The fires we built in our little cottage and the daffodils that bloomed everywhere.

I LOVED Italy.  For the beautiful language and the Italian words we learned to say. For the kisses on our cheeks and warm embraces. For the delicious food that spoke to my soul. For the happiness I got to see in my husband as he shared a part of him and his culture with us. Italy made history exciting (not something I would ever think I would say).

And then…we arrived in Ecuador.

I LOVED Ecuador. Wait, what? Not what you were expecting, huh? Well that makes two of us. We have been home almost two weeks now and that weariness that comes along with travel is finally starting to wear off. Our suitcases are unpacked and our laundry is done. Now I sit back and i reflect. Ecuador was not what I was expecting. To be honest, I don’t even know what i was expecting.  We discovered things about ourselves that we didn’t realize we could do, things I had no idea we were capable of.  I faced some fears.  I never expected to feel the wide range of emotions that we did the last three weeks of our trip. Good and bad ones.  I saw luke in probably the most vulnerable position I’d ever seen him in. And it made me appreciate him in ways I’d never thought of.  Like how strong he tries to be for us and how “together” he likes to be for us so that i don’t panic. I felt like for once, I could be his rock and guys,  that is really, really empowering.

And so here it is: I love Ecuador for the fears it helped me to face. For the tough decisions we learned to make. For the adventure it brought us. For the memories we made. For the stories we will tell for years to come. For the bond with my family that it strengthened.

We have decided for now to stay in Kauai, something we hadn’t really seen coming. At first, it was a little disappointing. All this traveling, only to end up back where we started.  But we realized this is exactly where we need to be right now, at this point in our lives. Who knows where we will end up in the future, but for now we are happy to spend a bit more time on this little rock we call home.

-Vanessa