John Stewart does it to wrap up the Daily Show, so I am doing it to wrap up this blog.
Here it is, your blogspot moment of zen...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
This is it...
The last blog entry. The **LAST** blog entry **EVER**. Well, I intend this to be the last, but in case I get a huge inspiration 5 months from now about something I absolutely meant to share, I may add another update... or if I can ever get that video of Steve riding an ostrich in South Africa to load, that would be worthy of another entry.
So, it has been almost two months since my last entry. I promise I haven't been a total slacker, just laying around on a beach sipping a pina colada the whole time (although we have had some fantastic beach time in the Bahamas and in Florida.) Since my last entry, we traveled to Uruguay, said goodbye to our beloved Buenos Aires, returned to the USA (including a teaser one-hour layover in the Atlanta airport at 6AM en route to Florida), went to Disney World- much better than Disneyland Paris, spent a couple of weeks in the Bahamas meeting more of Steve's family, came back to Atlanta, ran in the Peachtree Road Race (decided to do it 2 days before, I don't recommend running a 10k on July 4th in Atlanta with zero training), recovered from the Peachtree, went back to Florida for two different family reunions, and now we're all caught up to today. Whew.
Here are a few of the highlights of the past couple of months:
*While in Uruguay, we were able to meet the Ubals, friends of my grandparents dating back to the 1950´s. As a newlywed couple the Ubals had moved from Uruguay to Lubbock, Texas in order to attend Texas Tech. Through a foreign student support program, my grandparents met and soon became friends /surrogate parents for the Ubals. Fifty years later, they are still in touch and Mr. Ubal has returned to Lubbock several times to visit. We spent two days touring Montevideo and the surrounding areas with true locals, dining on local specialties ranging from delicious steak and pasta to panchos (hot dogs served with a horseradish mustard) and hearing all about their time in Lubbock as well as their many travels abroad. At one point Mr. Ubal was head of the Uruguayan navy and then became a naval attaché in Spain, so needless to say they had some great stories to share!
*Relaxing in the Bahamas, eating deliciously grilled fish and perfectly fried conch fritters that had just been caught a few hours earlier (and not being made to clean either the fish or the conch!), swimming in crystal clear waters, roasting marshmellows on our own private stretch of sand while watching the sun set over what (I think) is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
*Upon returning to the USA, first walking into a Publix grocery store and being amazed at how it smelled like delicious fresh-baked bread, how clean everything was, the fact that every shelf was completely stocked, and they don't give you a nasty look for paying with a bill higher than $5. I have since gotten a bit more adjusted to our American way of life, but I still try to keep in mind how lucky we are that we can go out at any time of day, driving my own car down a paved street, walk into an air conditioned store, and find just about any product I need and be able to pay with it using a credit card. Wow.
Now we are back home, slowly unpacking the many many boxes in order to feel officially moved back into our house. It is hard to believe the trip is over, that we have already been gone for a year. More honestly, though, it is hard to believe that we are able to make this trip a reality- to put our "normal" life on hold to have the chance to travel and see new worlds and meet new people. This is something that we have dreamed of / been planning together for 5+ years. Was it life-changing? Yes. My eyes have been opened to so many new cultures, but there are still so many more new places to go and places to go back to. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. What's next? Perhaps skydiving in New Zealand for our 30th birthdays next year. Or going back to Africa to hike Kiliminjaro and explore the Kenyan coast. Or journeying to the Galapagos Islands. Or sailing to Antarctica. Or......we'll see ;-)
A VERY special thanks to everyone that has been following this blog. It has meant so much to know that you guys are following along and taking an interest in our adventures- whether you read every post or just skim entries every few months. I look forward to sharing more of our experiences in person- we have about 8,000 photos so let me know when you have a few weeks blocked off and we can do the whole slideshow, starting way back in August 2007 with New Zealand.
Cheers,
Anna
So, it has been almost two months since my last entry. I promise I haven't been a total slacker, just laying around on a beach sipping a pina colada the whole time (although we have had some fantastic beach time in the Bahamas and in Florida.) Since my last entry, we traveled to Uruguay, said goodbye to our beloved Buenos Aires, returned to the USA (including a teaser one-hour layover in the Atlanta airport at 6AM en route to Florida), went to Disney World- much better than Disneyland Paris, spent a couple of weeks in the Bahamas meeting more of Steve's family, came back to Atlanta, ran in the Peachtree Road Race (decided to do it 2 days before, I don't recommend running a 10k on July 4th in Atlanta with zero training), recovered from the Peachtree, went back to Florida for two different family reunions, and now we're all caught up to today. Whew.
Here are a few of the highlights of the past couple of months:
*While in Uruguay, we were able to meet the Ubals, friends of my grandparents dating back to the 1950´s. As a newlywed couple the Ubals had moved from Uruguay to Lubbock, Texas in order to attend Texas Tech. Through a foreign student support program, my grandparents met and soon became friends /surrogate parents for the Ubals. Fifty years later, they are still in touch and Mr. Ubal has returned to Lubbock several times to visit. We spent two days touring Montevideo and the surrounding areas with true locals, dining on local specialties ranging from delicious steak and pasta to panchos (hot dogs served with a horseradish mustard) and hearing all about their time in Lubbock as well as their many travels abroad. At one point Mr. Ubal was head of the Uruguayan navy and then became a naval attaché in Spain, so needless to say they had some great stories to share!
*Relaxing in the Bahamas, eating deliciously grilled fish and perfectly fried conch fritters that had just been caught a few hours earlier (and not being made to clean either the fish or the conch!), swimming in crystal clear waters, roasting marshmellows on our own private stretch of sand while watching the sun set over what (I think) is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
*Upon returning to the USA, first walking into a Publix grocery store and being amazed at how it smelled like delicious fresh-baked bread, how clean everything was, the fact that every shelf was completely stocked, and they don't give you a nasty look for paying with a bill higher than $5. I have since gotten a bit more adjusted to our American way of life, but I still try to keep in mind how lucky we are that we can go out at any time of day, driving my own car down a paved street, walk into an air conditioned store, and find just about any product I need and be able to pay with it using a credit card. Wow.
Now we are back home, slowly unpacking the many many boxes in order to feel officially moved back into our house. It is hard to believe the trip is over, that we have already been gone for a year. More honestly, though, it is hard to believe that we are able to make this trip a reality- to put our "normal" life on hold to have the chance to travel and see new worlds and meet new people. This is something that we have dreamed of / been planning together for 5+ years. Was it life-changing? Yes. My eyes have been opened to so many new cultures, but there are still so many more new places to go and places to go back to. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. What's next? Perhaps skydiving in New Zealand for our 30th birthdays next year. Or going back to Africa to hike Kiliminjaro and explore the Kenyan coast. Or journeying to the Galapagos Islands. Or sailing to Antarctica. Or......we'll see ;-)
A VERY special thanks to everyone that has been following this blog. It has meant so much to know that you guys are following along and taking an interest in our adventures- whether you read every post or just skim entries every few months. I look forward to sharing more of our experiences in person- we have about 8,000 photos so let me know when you have a few weeks blocked off and we can do the whole slideshow, starting way back in August 2007 with New Zealand.
Cheers,
Anna
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