Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig

    Since we've returned home from our family adventure, I've had so many of our friends ask about our trip. I would find myself just sighing and making some brief comments. How can I encapsulate all that we explored and experienced in fewer than 140 characters?
    More than any other thing, the people I spent time with comprised the most impressive part. Sure, we strolled through ancient ruins, hiked up and over fortresses and stood at the "end of the world". Of course, we ate sumptuous suppers and drank refreshing beverages, felt the sand between toes and watched giant black fruit bats suspended in trees, but the loveliest part was waking up each day knowing that I'd be spending it with my dear ones.
    Now, returning to my welcome routine, I miss the witty jabber of clever young people, the glossy-eyed reminiscences of an octogenarian seeing her birthplace once again, and the sheer exhilaration of new sights and long-lost familiar smells.
    During the 16 days we were away, Duane and I got to know our childrens' significant others better. We learned that James has a fondness for coconut sambol, sarongs and jackfruit and that Tim has an affinity for king coconut water, archeo-history and fingerbowls. We shared jokes about cross-language typos (plomp and circumstance!) and ended each evening reflecting on the favorite parts of our day. We took turns playing our personal music playlists for road tunes, and now have an indelible shared musical history.
    Though we thought we knew our own kids pretty well, even they surprised us. Josh popped the question to James and made us all smile with approval. Rachel stepped up and became her grandmother's traveling assistant. The whole trip being Josh and Rachel's idea, I was grateful that they wanted us along.
    I watched my mother turn into a virtual spring chicken when she met her 97-year-old aunt. She looked spry as she climbed the steps to her old college residence hall and pointed out landmarks she recognized from long ago.
    Duane and I were able to spend some wonderful time together too, although our "date night" turned out to be a room service feast and watching TV in bed. We walked along beaches in the morning, shared lime juice at poolside and got to revel in the amazing and complex thing that is family.
    The memories, the laughs, even the small challenges are now a part of a time that we will always reminisce upon fondly. Besides the tight circle of our family, I miss writing about our days the most. So, this long-dusty and almost-forgotten blog will be my new travel companion as I make my way through these days. Your reading them has meant the world to me. Thank you for the kind comments and encouragement. I will strive to be worthy of your time. And I promise I won't keep you too long!