We had time to prepare for our flight. Yes, spending four weeks travelling through the US required we fill 4 big suitcases to the max, but for once, we gave ourselves time to do it thoughtfully. I even had a taxi scheduled to get us to the airport in plenty of time. We had vital documents (just in case!), printed itineraries, and SNACKS. We were ready to roll. Except the gas maintenance man showed up at the same time we were set to leave and we needed three elevator trips to get all of our bags, baby goods and bodies down to the waiting taxi. So we scrambled out the door of both our apartment and our building, tumbled into a van and chaotically started our first trip out of Santiago.
Such is our life. We try (I swear!) to be dialed. We don’t like inconveniencing people, running late, or spilling things, but it seems to happen fairly often. This trip was no exception, from our 9 hour flight to Atlanta (travelling with a toddler, enough said.), to our snowy arrival into Denver (thank you angel Alita!) and ending with our final(ish) leg of the trip in Washington. Flights were long but we survived them and Rayna held it together. Two weeks in Colorado and two weeks in Washington wasn’t nearly long enough to connect with all of our loved ones. But we did our best, racing from coffee dates to lunches to happy hours to dinners at Ruth’s. We hugged a lot of our favorite people, met a few sweet babies I have been needing to snuggle, and genuinely enjoyed our whirlwind trip.
Sure, all three of us caught a cold in Colorado and then a flu virus in Washington. Yes, Rayna was overwhelmed by a lot of the attention and love, often clinging to her parents in that sweet yet embarrassing way toddlers love to do. And more than one person noted that we are a bit of a s*%$ show, whether it was because our suitcases suddenly overflowed in their living room or because I showed up for a day of skiing with nothing but a jacket and a smile. But with patience and grace in abundance, we made some really sweet memories. From DU and law school reunions to long talks and mugs of tea, my heart is so full from time spent with the best of friends. Oma and Opa hosted a fantastic ski weekend in Frisco, where family from New York, Oklahoma and Fort Collins laughed over accents and werewolves. We enjoyed plenty of sunshine, kayaking and ridiculously wonderful hospitality both in Anacortes and Seattle. We took lots of pictures, drank plenty of great craft beer, and are heading back to Chile feeling so rich because of the people in our lives. It was chaotic and sometimes rushed, and we experienced a decent amount of stress trying to touch base and catch up with so many precious people. But we stayed positive, remembered why we had travelled so far, and did our best to schedule well and be present once we got to where we were going.
To those friends and family members we tried to see but couldn’t, we are sorry. We knew it would be impossible to spend quality time with all of you, and my sadness about that is real. To those who hosted us, drove us, fed us, hugged us and graciously understood when our child dramatically rejected your greeting, thank you. You are our village and we are so blessed by you.
After four weeks travelling, we will be glad to get back to Santiago and a little more predictable routine. We learned a lot from this trip, and as long as we keep growing from these experiences, I’ll keep signing up for them. Looking forward to sharing more about this sweet, strange life with all of you. Love!!!
Pearls and Pines 
What a gift you are to all of us who are blessed to know you and experience life through your eyes and words. So great to see you three!!!!!