Saying goodbye

Making the decision to travel was not that hard. Downsizing was a lot of work, but once we got past the emotional hurdle of our possessions, it was just physical work. But saying goodbye to family, friends, and the city where I lived most of my life was hard.

We started our “farewell tour” in Septmber. That included visiting our favorite places in Kansas City, having final happy hours with good friends, going to Hays to see Eric’s family, and going to Wichita to see my sister Amy and her family. We knew we’d be gone for a full year, so for some family members, we wouldn’t see them until the holidays in 2025. And with our son Andrew considering a move to the east coast next summer, we weren’t sure if we’d ever be back in Kansas City again.

Some highlights from our farewell tour included a final yacht rock concert with friends and family and visiting our favorite KC breweries like KC Bier Co, Boulevard, Casual Animal. Of course we had some final KC barbecue at Q39, and our favorite pizzas at Minskys and Pizza 51.

We went to Hays to spend time with Eric’s family in early October (and I got to experience Hays Oktoberfest!).

And we spent one final weekend in Wichita with Amy and Chad visiting our favorite brewery Hopping Gnome and watching some K-State football. We were also fortunate that some of our favorite pieces of furniture could find a new home in their living room so we can come visit them! We’re so thankful that we’ll see them again in February in Portgual!

Saying goodbye was HARD. We’re a close family. And while we can’t see everyone once a week, or once a month, we’re so grateful for the technology we have to keep us connected. Daily text messages and the occasional FaceTime make it seem like we’re still in the same city/state/country. And we’re so blessed to have people joining us on our travels throughout the year!