Our collective travel bug has really been a defining force in our family and I think it began at some level with Mom and Dad. How many nights have we entertained ourselves, wives, and kids with stories of our infamous trip out West. If you think about that trip, how many parents would have taken on that vacation with 3 boys? I think that trip was the launching pad for our interest in travel.
My experience is unique to the two of you because I didn’t blaze a travel trail like each of you. I benefited greatly from each of you moving to “exotic” places after school. I remember how crazy my classmates thought it was when I was in junior high and high school and I was going to San Francisco, Spain, and Hawaii. I was only afforded those experiences because you guys were living in those places and Mom and Dad were committed to traveling to see you. How lucky for me was that?!?!
I believe we are lucky to have, or perhaps chose wisely, spouses that embrace the spirit of travel and adventure that is instilled in us. For me, Sheila has always encouraged my sense of adventure. For example, my close friend Nathan lived in The Netherlands for 10 weeks during dental school. He asked me to visit, and I found an amazingly cheap flight, but wasn’t going to go. We were less than 2 years out of college and didn’t have lots of money. Sheila basically said I was crazy for even considering not going, so I did. Nathan and I still talk about that trip, an experience I’ll never forget for sure. Other examples include me leaving her in London so Ed and I could meet Marc in Sarajevo. She is also completely supportive of my plans to leave her and the girls alone in January 2013 for 2 weeks to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. I’m sure you all have similar stories of spousal support, and we wouldn’t have traveled as we have without support and encouragement from Holly, Jennifer, and Sheila.
Despite the examples of traveling without Sheila, we talk often about the girls getting old enough that we can travel as a family. Sasha & Kira have definitely hampered our travel the last couple years. Hearing about Ed’s family adventures has made us so excited for when we’ll get to share travel experiences with our girls. As you can imagine, we’ve got a lot planned…because that’s what we do is plan…which is another topic on travel. I’ll get to that one soon in a separate post.
So I guess in summary: thank you Mom and Dad for opening our eyes at a young age; thank you brothers for giving me lots of awesome places to go; and thank you Sheila for supporting and encouraging my continued sense of adventure!
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