Munich Meetup

2019 had just dawned and the first thing we did was jump on a plane.  Sounds about right.  We had some vacation time left and two families (and great friends) from Munich were going to be in Florida.  

We got back to the airport in Fort Myers late afternoon and instead of heading towards home, we headed North towards Longboat Key.  Located near Sarasota, it was about 100 miles away and we made it just in time for dinner, and then an early bedtime.  Friends would have to wait until morning.

Well rested, we awoke the next morning to this view on our back patio...

With the sun shining, we quickly got dressed.  And by dressed I mean we put on bathing suits and some shoes.  Who needs to put on real clothes when you are spending the day at the beach?

We drove the short 2 minutes to the C's hotel where we would be stationed for the day.  With ground floor access, a large beachside deck and heated pool it was the perfect landing pad.  It didn't take long for the kids to get reacquainted and disappear either to the pool or down to the sand to play.  As for the adults, we gabbed and snacked and just caught up on what had been going on in our lives for the past 6 months.  It was just like old times!  Except at the beach.  In the U.S.  I did snap a few shots of the kids having fun...

Teeny Tiny jellyfish.  Showed up out of nowhere about 3 pm. All over the beach.

So we took the kids back up to the lawn and taught them to play shuffleboard.

At sunset, we headed back down to the beach to see what we could get in the form of pictures.  Armed with only my cell phone, I did what I could.  This was the one and only time I had wished for my big camera on this entire trip.  But I the iPhone actually did a pretty decent job (though someday they will figure out a way for it to handle low light better).

The sun was officially down and we got some dinner into the kids and parked them in front of the tv while the adults went out to the back patio to have their dinner, mostly uninterrupted.  And suddenly it was late.  And the kids were fading fast from a day of fresh air and fun.  It was time to say our goodbyes.  Which also meant making plans for a quick lunch the next day before we all headed our separate ways.

I am so glad we made a point to see each other.  And we are already talking about doing it again in the summer.  Here's to the friends we make while living abroad!

Auf Weidersehen

The day dawned early.  Well, in reality, it had not even dawned yet.  But we were up and out of the house before the moon even had a thought of retiring for the night.  And it was just as well because if I was awake and thinking I may never have gotten on the plane.  And not because I wasn't ready to come home, because I was, but more because I would be leaving such great people behind...

Just a smattering of the fabulousness I found in Munich!

But I did not have time to dwell on any of that.  I had flights to catch, a daughter in a walking boot (more on that update later) who needed a wheelchair to get around, a cat that was very confused by what we were doing and two super sad kids that I needed to keep occupied for the next 16-18 hours.  No time for my own emotions (those would come later).

Appropriate last picture at what would now be a former home airport.

We spent hours travelling away from the new day; a new beginning.  It almost seemed like we were trying to stave off the inescapable reality that daybreak would mean that we were no longer expats, but were now repats.  And we just don't know what that life looks like anymore.  But you can only go so far, so fast and daybreak finally caught up with us somewhere over Portugal.  It was inevitable.  As was our return to "home".  I silently said a quick thank you - to whom I am not quite sure - for the adventures, friends, for the lifetime of memories. And then I settled in for the long flight back to the U.S. and all that awaited us on the other end.