A Mega Catch-Up Post

A lot has happened since my last blog post! I'm really excited about what we've done and to share it here.

I wish I had a great reason why I stopped blogging in March. If I think back over everything from that time, I think it was a symphony of anxiety, frustration, missing my family, and being too overwhelmed to move forward. Updating this blog was pushed to the back and I never picked it back up. 

I love writing and sharing pictures from the things we've done. I love looking back at the old pictures and remembering all the small details that made the trip memorable. I want to continue to do that here.

​So, here's the update!

In March, we flew back to the US from Australia (through Singapore) and spent a week in New York. We then flew to Nashville and spent 2 weeks on a road trip through North & South Carolina. We wanted to explore a bunch of cities to see if we wanted to move there (we liked the Carolinas a lot more than we anticipated, especially Greenville, SC). ​

We left the US just before Easter and spent 4 days in Mexico City. We loved the history, food, and culture we found there and both want to go back. The picture below is from Teotihuacan, an ancient city outside of Mexico City.

Next was Brennan's 6th continent-South America! We flew into Buenos Aires and explored the Argentinian capital city. I think Buenos Aires is one of my favorite cities in the world-we had great food and saw so many beautiful buildings while we were there. If you want to go to Paris, but pay Thailand prices, go to Buenos Aires!

 From Buenos Aires, we took a ferry to Montevideo, Uruguay. This may have been one of my least favorite places we've visited. There wasn't much to do; thankfully the hotel we stayed in was great! We did go out and explore some of the city and found a cool market and plaza.

From Uruguay, we flew to Puerto Rico and spent a few days at a resort before boarding a cruise. On the cruise, we visited St. Thomas, St. Kitts, St. Johns, Barbados, St. Lucia, and St. Maarten. We definitely caught up on sunshine and warm weather after this cruise!

From there, Brennan and I spent a week apart. I flew to Indianapolis to spend time with Rachel and we went to Nashville for the Taylor Swift concert with Emily & Val (2 of my best friends from college). Even after 3 months, I still cannot think about that weekend without getting emotional. It was everything I needed to feel like myself again after feeling lost for months.

​Brennan spent the week in New York getting ready for a half marathon. He placed 3rd in his age group! He has been training for a marathon (he'll run it October 1!) and this race was proof that his hard work is paying off! 

We spent the month of May in New York City, renting an apartment in Brooklyn-visiting the Prospect Park, eating bagels, shopping at the bodega around the corner, and riding the subway all over the city. My parents came to visit, we went on a day trip up into the Hudson Valley, saw the Yankees win at Yankee Stadium, and generally just fell harder for the greatest city in the world. Brennan and I will always love New York.

In June, we spent time in Ohio with my family, then flew to Alaska! We spent a day in Anchorage, then took a cruise from Seward to Vancouver and visited several classic Alaskan sites along the way. Throughout the cruise, we saw so much wildlife (whales, sea lions, bears, mountain goats, and bald eagles) and generally enjoyed the experience more than either of us expected. After we left the ship, we spent a few days in Vancouver and Seattle, before heading back to the East part of the US. ​

Once we were back on this side of the Mississippi, we visited Brennan's family, went to Savannah and Tybee Island, then arrived in Greenville, SC for an extended stay at an Airbnb. We spent almost two weeks in Greenville and decided it had all the things we are looking for in a city where we want to live. Eventually, we will likely move to Greenville (something I didn't expect to happen!). ​

Finally, we spent a few days in Ohio over my birthday. It was a weekend full of friends and family and enjoying the summertime.

As I write this, we are in New York City before we fly out to our next international destination. I can't believe we've been traveling for over a year and still feel amazed at the places we've been. If you would have told me 10 years ago this would be my life, I never would have believed you.

Brennan and I are grateful for the experiences we've had and recognize that we are so privileged to get to explore the world in the way that we do. As we move into the second year of traveling, we are both looking forward to spending more time in fewer places, continuing to grow individually and together, and explore more of the world around us!