around the world in 180 days

They’ve been a bit slow in coming, and I suspect there aren’t many checking back regularly, but I thought it was time to make good on my word.

Minnesota has been good to us, as usual. The weather’s been nice, if a mite hot, and we’ve made a tour of most of the state, visiting family and friends and in general avoiding as much of the reality that we can feel setting in. Last Monday, we went to Rochester and spent some time with my family. Anna and I practiced our Thai cooking skills, making some very spicy green curry and some not so spicy cashew chicken. They both turned out very well. Justin joined us for dinner and we saw his (and Andrea’s) new home afterwards. Very nice. We should all be so fortunate.

On Thursday, we drove to Grand Rapids and spent an evening on Trout Lake with JD, Joe, Beth, Maddie and Donovan. The weather was beautiful. It was nice to be in the woods again and nice to wet a line, although we need to remember to pick up fishing licenses before we go again. We didn’t catch anything, so I didn’t feel too guilty, but it’s still something we need to take care of.

The rest of the weekend we spent in Cass Lake, visiting with Anna’s family. It was a great weekend. Friday night, Mike cooked us walleye and wild rice, a real MN dinner if there ever was one, and the next day, we had a picnic out at Norway Beach. That night, Mary cooked a fine meal and we continued visiting with friends and relatives. All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend.

Now we’re in Shoreview, staying at my Grandparent’s apartment while they’re at Mille Lacs for the summer. It was very nice of them to let us stay here, as it gives us a chance to get jobs and find an apartment without worrying so much about money.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped make this trip possible for us. It’s been the experience of a lifetime, something we’ll think back on fondly for the rest of our lives, and so many of you have been extremely generous with your time, your knowledge, your homes and many other things. Without such wonderful family and friends, such an ambitious trip would have been impossible. I’d list everyone here, but I’d just forget someone and you all know who you are and how you’ve helped. Besides, a thank you is best delivered in person, not writing.

I’m going to keep writing here as I look for jobs and as Anna starts looking for school, but the traveling is mostly over and life is going to slip back into the same routine it was in before. I don’t think the stories will be as interesting, but I like to write and this keeps me fresh. Talk to you again soon!

Tags: Travel

This entry was posted on Monday, July 23rd, 2007 at 9:46 pm and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.