My Last Blog...

Alex and I have been in Sacramento for a little over a week now.  I still don't totally feel settled in, but who knows how long it will take to actually really feel "settled in?" I'm not even sure what that means for us yet. We were able to sell our van while we were still in Illinois. I was really sad to see the van go, but it had to happen. We donated a good chunk of our things in the van to Salvation Army and a Women and Children's shelter. We only had four bags between the both of us when we boarded our train to California. It is actually pretty surprising how much you can live without. That's one of the things I learned while on the road.

I definitely feel like a different person now than when we first set sail on our across country adventure seven months ago. Maybe not totally different, but I have a different view on life. My traveling experience has made me appreciate the simple things in life and realize that building and maintaining relationships with the people around you is what will make life more fulfilling. I'm happy that I was able to see so many places, learn tons of history about our country and best of all meet new people and experience different cultures within our culture...if that makes sense.

I also really enjoyed going to a different church every Sunday.  Although, we were far away from our church in Sacramento, it seemed like we were close because of the faith we shared with Christians all across the country. It was neat to see how welcoming, friendly and loving people were to us who had only known us for a few seconds. We were the new people at church, "the strangers" and I was happy that so many churches made us feel at home.  I only hope that I can do the same for new people who attend my home church in Sacramento

I also enjoyed seeing old friends who lived in different parts of the country.  Seeing friends that I hadn't seen in years was really cool. I was very grateful for the kindness and hospitality they showed us. I hope that I can be as welcoming and hospitable to my friends and new people I meet now that I'm back in my hometown.

Traveling has grown Alex and I closer as a couple. We had good times and bad times. We learned things about each other that we could have only learned by traveling together and I think it has had us stronger individually and as husband and wife.

I wouldn't want to take back or replace any of the experiences I had on the road. I'm so glad that when Alex came up with this crazy idea that I said yes. I think that I will look back on the last seven months with fond memories for the rest of my life. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

This last week we have reconnected with old friends and spent time with family. It's been nice, but I think it's now time to start looking for jobs and getting back to regular old life.