Visiting Home – First Time in 2 Years!

Greetings!

My oh my, it has been over a year since I have posted anything on here! Sorry about that… I’m going to *attempt* to make a more intentional effort moving forward for the remainder of this summer.

I’m hoping to write about past trips I’ve experienced in the last year, ranging from different islands within Greece to different countries in Europe. But in the meantime, I’d love to share about my (much needed, and overall enjoyed) visit home earlier this summer.

First and foremost, it was so lovely to reconnect with all of my loved ones on this trip home in June and July of 2022.

I hadn’t been back to the US in almost two years; since late summer of 2020, and wow, things have definitely changed since then! I’ve spoken to my other expat friends about this concept – that we as individuals change overseas, along with all of our family and friends back home. We all grow and change in our own unique ways, and sometimes that can take one by surprise when you finally reconnect.

I loved seeing my old cat, Cricket. He is such a spunky and adventurous cat! He remembered me shortly after seeing me again, and I loved all of our naps and time spent outside that we had together.

One thing I truly looked forward to this summer was seeing my sister Erin’s life updates! Since I had last seen her she got many new things… an engagement ring, a home, a dog, just to name a few! I adore Franklin (better known as Choochie). I joined him on some lovely morning walks, we snuggled on the couch together, and he showed off all of his tricks too.

Besides all of the people (and animals) that I reconnected with, another aspect of ‘things I missed from home’ was the food. You can take the girl out of the midwest, but you can’t take the love for cheese curds out of the midwestern girl!

The ‘big ticket item’ on this visit home was of course the LeRoy wedding! WOW – was it an AMAZING one!!! It was an honor to spend this day with Erin and Sam as a ceremony musician and as a bridesmaid. This beautiful day was filled to the brim with genuine love, super fun times, some forever memories, and lots of ‘overall chillness’!

While home for those five weeks, I also managed to spend time with some of the important people in my life. I enjoyed catching up with friends I hadn’t seen in years, and it was great to hear about all of their life updates.

Along with spending time with these folks that I missed so dearly, I also took the opportunity to enjoy my beautiful hometown. Growing up in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, I honestly took the beauty of this city for granted. I made it a point to view my hometown with a new lens and to enjoy all it had to offer.

All in all, this visit home was a time of reconnecting with others, enjoying my hometown, eating the foods I missed, and making some forever memories. I’m so glad I spent a full five weeks with the people I love, and I feel like this trip will give me the strength to keep enjoying this adventurous time I’m having abroad.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to travel home, I’m grateful to see my loved ones all in good health, and I’m grateful for all the support and love I feel from those in my life.

Thanks for reading.

❤️
~Anna