If you’ve ever moved away from a place that is close to your heart, you know what it’s like to go back and visit. The visits are usually never long enough…you want to squeeze in lots of hugs, dinners, coffee dates, meet new precious babies, try and squeeze in a yoga class or two. If you’ve got kids they’ll want to see their friends, dig in the sand, swim in the waves and they will always be kids – they will monopolize your time no matter where you are or what YOU want to do. Haha, that’s just a perk of parenthood!
Although we flew through San Diego in a frenzy, we did it in the most enjoyable way. We didn’t fit it all in or catch up with everyone but that’s just life sometimes. Part of adventuring for us is being ok with not always doing everything in one go. We find much more enjoyment in being selective and not overfilling our list of expectations.
The highlight of any adventure is usually the people we connect with. In all the traveling that I’ve done, I find it is hardest to leave behind the beautiful people I meet. Technology is a great way to stay connected but it’s not the same as sitting in a cozy space drinking tea together, or sharing a glass of wine at sunset…you get the picture.
We had a small bucket list for our week in San Diego: fish tacos, beach trips, hot yoga at Indie (that was on my own personal list) and catch up with as many friends as possible. Our only obstacles would be adjusting to traveling into the past, dealing with traffic and packing up our life that we had left in storage.
And guess what?! Although we didn’t get to catch up with everyone, we did get all our boxes ticked…we didn’t get as much sleep as we needed but there is always time to sleep. The kids had a blast and we got to crash with the best of friends. We got in a family photo session (if you want great photographer in SD, Courtney is wonderful!) to record our “San Diego days” and I even snuck in a yoga class and a few precious coffee dates.
Coming back to America happened sooner than we had planned and although we didn’t really feel ready to leave New Zealand, we try to learn from each experience, live in the moment, and embrace the path at our feet. Our present route seems to be a quest to lay some roots somewhere and we (mostly) enjoy each new chapter we find ourselves in. I’m not going to lie, transitions to different cultures and towns can feel like being zoomed to the moon. One day you can be in a small town bubble, mid winter, in a comfy routine…the next in the hustle of the city, close to crowded beaches, driving on the other side of the road, adjusting to a new season, and time difference. Whoosh!! The adventure continues…
xoxx Susanna
