“Let’s connect later this week! I have a few ideas”

Emails and conversations like this have been the backbone for this trip. I’ve mentioned a few times that I struggle with flexibility and being open to change but words like this make me excited and help me look forward to all the possibilities ahead of me.

This week, that’s meant being offered a speaking gig that I can’t take and having the opportunity help Kai practice for it instead. It’s meant sorting out the details for a weekend volunteering trip to Wyoming despite not being able to attend the training for the opportunity. It’s meant realizing the networking we did on our last trip to Florida has built the bridges for us to thrive this time.

At the same time, with all the anticipation bubbling around me, the last few days have been full of nostalgia. With the boiler broken, the last two days our apartment has been without hot water and without heat during the day. This has meant several hours on the couch curled up with Evan under a pile of blankets watching our way through all of the Mary Poppins movies as well as several from the Winnie the Pooh collection. Sharing some of my favorite childhood movies, most of which Evan had never seen, was an experience that was pure joy and definitely was the best part of these last couple days.