It feels like we have been back in the States for a really long time and I guess we kind of have been. Right about two months for this holiday visit and while it has been great, we are ready to get “home” from vacation – get back to our more usual routine. Just like past visits back to the States, the highlight was the time we have been able to spend with friends and family in Florida and in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Highlights for both of us over the last couple of months include:

• Pickleball mornings at Longwood Run
• I did my 54-mile bike ride on the Legacy Trail in Sarasota and the Venetian Waterway in Venice
• Spending time with A’Drea – dinner at Tandoor Indian, walking to see the lights around UTC, and dinner before we left Florida at Wings n Things
• Thanksgiving with our Florida family
• Dinner with Bill, Jen, Duane, and Kim at Wings n Things
• Lightning hockey game with Brian and Camper – the Lightning beat the St. Louis Blues
• Red Lobster, Melting Pot, and Siegfried’s dinners with Mom
• Lunches at Main Bar Sandwich Shop
• Dinners and seeing the crew (Johnnie, Tonya, Steph, Leah, and Mike) at Wings n Things
• Lunch at University Park with Vince, Kerry, Nick, and Jacinta
• Two dinners at Todd and Kelly’s – one to watch the new Depeche Mode DVD concert film from Mexico City with Jody and Maddie
• Visiting Rick and Lori at Family First Estate and dinner with them
• Dinner at D’Corato with Tim and Roy
• Quick trip to Des Moines for Dave Boelman’s Celebration of Life – getting to see Curt, Miaken, and Nick while there
• Orlando weekend (including a visit to Epic Universe) with Doug, Sara, and Jackson
• Wallyball night with Todd, Mike, Rick, Shawn, Chase, Chad, and Jake
• Haircuts by Beth
• Mike taking mom to dinner at Apollonia and the circus while Sandy went to the comedy club with Nicole
• A Tailor Near Me show at FST with Mom and Terry
• Vegetable soup at Terry and Mike’s for Christmas Eve
• Florida family Christmas
• Dinner at Blu Kouzina and lunch at Wings n Things with Tim and Janeal who were visiting the area from Arizona while we happened to still be in Sarasota
• New Year’s Eve with Brian and Camper at their house
• New Year’s Day at Terry and Mike’s with the family
• Spending time with Jonette and Raul and their hospitality in Minneapolis – including dinner with Heidi and Jim and then Sandy and Jonette meeting Pauline for coffee one of the mornings
• Spending time with Dewey and Judy and their hospitality in Gilman, Wisconsin – especially making pierogies and enjoying an authentic Polish meal together
• Sandy’s girls weekend with Sarah, Kathy, and Kathy in Luck & Sarah’s hospitality
• Lunch for Mike with Bob in Chippewa Falls and then visiting Leinie’s Lodge
• Mike staying at the old Woodland Hotel in Owen – breakfasts at Cozy Corner, beer flight at Blue Heron, Friday fish fry at the golf course, and a steak dinner at High View in Medford
• Dinner with Dennis at Crave
• Spending time with Heather and John and their hospitality in Minneapolis
• Northern family Christmas and Brian and Oriana’s hospitality

The next update will kick off year number three of our global journey.