Final Thoughts on Our Journey

Looking back on the past few weeks, it’s fun to think about the trip as a whole. It’s hard to see the big picture when you are knee deep in the daily grind of sightseeing, packing, traveling, finding food, navigating maps, getting lost, etc. We learned a lot about what it’s like to travel with 2 kids while trying to keep your sanity. Oh, and of course, having fun as a family! ☺ We are blessed to have been able to do this trip, even if it felt a little crazy at times!
It seemed like it was sometimes challenging to have all 4 of us on the same page with energy levels, hunger, desire to go out and do things, etc. When we went to China in 2008 with Audrey, it was so much easier in so many ways. One thing while traveling with 2 kids, Joe and I were always ‘on.’ At home, we each get sporadic breaks & a chance at alone time. During the trip, this only happened a couple of time for each of us- when we got massages, during our cooking classes, a run for Joe and a swim for me and when I snuck off with Laurel for a bit and when Joe went to the rugby game with Brian. That was it for the entire time. And when we were trying to get certain things done every day, it was almost impossible to make sure we each got some frequent down time.
And I suspect Audrey had similar feelings. She is used to getting time away from us to tend to herself- when she goes to school she gets to run and play with friends and go to ‘work.’ I think this is part of why she had so much fun playing with baby Miles and her friend Chase. Even though we made sure she got to choose activities and that we did kid friendly stuff, it’s just not the same. Plus, Audrey seems to be going through an emotional time lately, so she has been extra fragile and has needed to be handled with care. I just think her brain and her body are growing rapidly right now and she’s trying to process it all.
And poor little Scarlett. She is rounding the corner to being 2 years old and all she wants is freedom to explore and do things all by herself. She wants to walk by herself without holding hands, she wants to jump, run and be hands on. She wants to (and tries to) do everything her big sister does. She needs to be constantly watched because she will just walk off the edge into a swimming pool or run out into traffic- she just doesn’t know any better yet, but we are working on it! And there was A LOT of time that she spent strapped into the Ergo carrier or just being carried. And 98% of the time, the weather was HOT and humid. So being strapped into the carrier was extra hard on her as she gets sweaty very quickly. And when we were moving through very busy airports or in crowded markets, it meant she just couldn’t be down on her own. She is such a free, independent little spirit this was trying on her little soul.
With all of that said, one thing we learned from our China trip that we implemented here was to make sure we took breaks from busy days packed with sightseeing and have some down time in there too. This is where the 5 days on the beach came into play. And that time was indeed special for that very reason. We chilled out, we sat and watched the sun set, we played in the water and we had fun. Ahhh…
We tried not to do TOO much, but it was a busy schedule that we kept. We tried to soak it all in. We learned that even when you have been sitting on the back of an elephant for an hour and it’s a bumpy, hot, steep ride down and you are just ready to be done- it’s important to stop and remember the incredible thing that you are part of at that very moment and soak it all in. When you get home, you won’t have the chance to go outside and say, “Let’s go ride an elephant today.” It’s not an option, so enjoy the moment now.
We had fun. We were challenged. We truly enjoyed everywhere we went, loved seeing our friends and exploring places we’ve never been to before. And yes, we are still suffering from getting over jetlag, but we’d do the trip again in a heartbeat. Where to next??
And of course thanks to my wonderful hubby for making it all possible. ☺ We used the airline miles from all of those years Joe traveled back and forth to Boston to go on the trip. We couldn’t have afforded to go otherwise.