From One Adventure to Another...
Seattle, USA

Well, this is it, our very last blog. We have now been home for a week, and boy, things are still pretty weird. We know that we have changed somehow having just had an amazing year-long experience, but aside from a few babies we missed while we were gone, everything and everyone at home seems to be pretty much the same. It's as if we stepped back from a time machine just two days after leaving.

As usual, Jen hasn't had much issue adjusting, and has been enjoying her reunions with her co-workers and friends; she has already been back to work at the Library for three days now. I go back to work on Monday, and return to my flying schedule, as least for the near future (I'll be in Denver next week). Being apart from each other is going to be a bit tough, seeing as Jen and I have spent the last year together almost 24/7; we definitely like being together a lot more than being apart!

There are a few observations to make from the last week at home. Coming back to North America after spending so much time overseas makes us realize a few things. For one, we certainly don't mind the cleanliness and sanitation of life at home. Regular garbage pickup, non-smoking regulations, and unleaded gas (albeit ridiculously expensive) all contribute to what we think is a relatively clean environment.

However, things do seem somewhat oversized and excessive here. It's odd, but there seems to be a lot of waste, quite unnecessarily. We get the impression that less should actually mean more, but that's obviously not the case for many things at home, from the large cars on the road, to the superstores like Home Depot and Walmart, to even our own house, which is crammed full of junk, we now realize. We just spent a year living comfortably out of two bags; we've been struggling to unpack our house, having discovered how much useless crap we have... so much of it now seems unnecessary.

Of course, all this enlightenment doesn't mean that we're going to be selling our truck any time soon, nor are we going to be downsizing to a little shack with a tin roof. Nevertheless, hopefully it does mean that we're going to perhaps live life a little simpler, and perhaps a bit slower. Time will tell.

We want to thank you all for your participation and for following us along our journey in the past year. This One Year, One World website has allowed us to keep in touch with friends and family and hopefully has allowed you to get a glimpse of the incredible world that we saw. Amazingly, the website has actually grown to the point where it's averaging about 8000 hits a week now... pretty incredible! It's somewhat bizarre to have so many people seeing what we've been doing, but we hope that it inspires some of you to drop the shackles of comfort and routine and head out for the open road yourselves!

In the meantime, there is a lot to keep us busy here at home, as we start to settle back into our lives at home. Indeed, as the title of this last blog suggests, we do have another little adventure coming up soon... Jen arrives home being about four months pregnant! We've known since New Zealand, and luckily, have not had to deal with any morning sickness or nausea issues from then until now. The lucky kid growing inside of Jen has already visited eight countries! Travelling might just be in his/her blood. It's definitely an exciting time for us and our families.

Thanks once again for all your e-mails and Guestbook postings; we really appreciate hearing from you. We hope you have enjoyed travelling along with us as much as we have enjoyed travelling this past year... don't forget to let us know when you set off on your own journey!

Until next time, safe travels, and take care.

Signing off,
Winston & Jen

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