We’ve been back in the US for the past 2ish months and our trip is over! We’ve spent the past two months catching back up with family and friends, meeting new babies, trying to get use to the cold after 18 months of chasing summer, and job hunting.
This is us right after we went through US customs in Honolulu and right before I got yelled at for taking a picture in the customs area.
We thought we’d have some issues reentering the country after more than a year away and 67 countries visited (plus Antartica). When we approached the customs agent, he said, “Wow! 67 countries! That’s a lot”, or something like that. He then stamped us in and didn’t look through our passports at all. That was it. No bag searches. No additional screening. Nothing.
Mike’s parents picked us up from the airport and we went to the most American place possible for breakfast: IHOP! And it was glorious.
It had been about 11 months since we had seen them, so it was great to have a few days in paradise to catch up, play some cards, and enjoy the views.
Here are the before and after pics for the trip. Here’s the day we left Chicago:
And then back in the US over a year later:
If nothing else, we were traveling lighter at the end than we started. The tent and sleeping bags were the biggest joke of our initial packing. For the most part everything else was put to use.
Once we were back on the mainland it was time to see some new babies and some older kiddos (plus all their amazing parents). First stop, Seattle to see Hugh.
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Then it was off to StL for a huge airport welcome home!
Awesome.
Next stop on the tour de US was Michigan to meet back up with a few of our favorite niños.
And, of course, to get some laser tag in.
Laser tag: an activity I never knew I needed in my life.
Plus we got to finally meet Miss Colette while we were in Michigan. What a sweetie!
Then off to see the notorious Mira in Iowa:
We made it back to Chicago, finally, just in time for some incredibly cold weather.
That’s right, it was so cold and icy that we couldn’t get into the courtyard – only an issue when you have been chasing summer and don’t have winter coats or boots to keep you warm.
We’ve been able to spend a ton of time with Lucy and MVB in Chicago. 
Plus we circled around to a few of our favorite restaurants. Mmmmmmmmmmmm.
So. Good.
We got to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with family, great food, and some good wine as well… some of which we had shipped home and were pumped to share. Plus we got to visit with the Suardis who always provide the best decorations and the best cookies for Christmas.
We also snuck in the birth and baptism of Charlie Hunter!
How sweet are these boys?
Plus we got to practice this cool photo trick we learned while traveling.
We spent New Years in Chicago, but Johnny came up to visit and help us ring in the new year in style.
And we helped Michael’s dad celebrate his retirement – 30 years as a Michigan judge. Thank you for your time on the bench! Now you’ll have more time to travel!
And finally a few pictures of the nephews in their awesome headbands that we brought them back from Japan.
We’ve packed these couple of months with a ton of family time. It has been strange being back in a country where everyone speaks English and it’s easy to pop into Walgreens or Target to pick up the exact brand of gum that I prefer. Some people speak of reverse culture shock when returning to the US after being gone for a long time. I wouldn’t say we’ve had that issue too much and if we did it was mostly dealt with during our month in New Zealand and Australia after leaving Asia. We have already acquired some “stuff”, but mostly clothes and shoes to deal with the cold or to wear to interviews. I’m sure that will change a bit when we finally have an apartment of our own. Huge shout out to our parents and Ken and J9 who have let us live in their spare bedrooms for the past couple of months. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
So now we’re just going to say goodbye to this blog. I know what you’re thinking.
Yes, it’s officially over. We are sad that the travels are over, but we are excited for the next phase of our lives. We’ll still do a lot of traveling, but you won’t get to read all about it any more. Just call – I’ll tell you all the details.
Thanks Dad B for this great photo from the end of our trip!
Thanks to our family and friends who supported us throughout this wild ride. I know some of you thought we were crazy to quit our jobs, sell our stuff, and travel. Thanks for being supportive anyway. Also thanks to the family and friends who didn’t think we were insane. Your confidence in us and our decision making encouraged us immensely during this process. Thanks to everyone that came out to visit us. We would not have lasted a year without your visits which gave us a small taste of home. Thanks to everyone who accepted mail and packages from us or who have kept a box or two of our stuff (or six or seven) in your basement. Thanks to everyone who had to explain (for the hundredth time) to a niece or nephew why we didn’t come to visit for so long. Thanks for all the parents who helped a niece or nephew follow our trip on their map. Thanks to the three of you who are getting married in 2019 – I’m sure you planned it this way so as not to interrupt our trip. Thanks to all the new friends we met along the way. We are so lucky to have met you and look forward to hosting when you come visit us. Thanks to Michael for being a great partner in travel and in life. And thank you for reading the blog and following along on our trip around the world. Now on to the next adventure!