‘Snow’ place like home (end of first half)

My toes are numb. My fingernails are turning blue. My hair is a staticky mess, but my heart is filled to overflowing. Yes, we’ve made it back to Wisconsin in time for Christmas.

Already we have one holiday celebration under our belts. On Thursday (our last night in Beaufort), Zac and Tammy came over to the bungalow for a holiday ham dinner and some Christmas cheer. It was strange, having them open their gifts with no snow on the ground and flowers blooming outside. But we had to celebrate early because they are planning to stay in Beaufort for Christmas with Max, their new German Shepherd puppy! (He’s adorable.) It won’t be the same without them, of course, but we made enough memories with them during our two months in South Carolina to get us through one holiday apart.

We must be getting used to our nomadic lifestyle, because the six-hour van ride from Beaufort to Tampa the next day went by like an easy Sunday drive. Our family friends—the Webers—welcomed us with open arms, as expected. It’s so fun hanging out with them, because Christy’s three kids get along with our girls just as well as us adults.

On Saturday, Christy brought us to a kayak place on the Weeki Wachee River, which is crystal clear and fed by natural springs. This time of year, when the Gulf waters get colder, manatees float up the river because it remains a constant 72 degrees. I thought we’d maybe get lucky to see one or two, but there were dozens of all shapes and sizes—huge, gentle monsters the size of large sofas, even pairs of mothers and babies. (My favorite.) The kids jumped out and swam in the water; they even got to pet the manatees, which live up to their docile title of “sea cows.” It was easily the coolest nature experience of our adventure to date and the perfect way to wrap up the first half of our journey.

After a lonnnnnng day of kayaking, we took it easy Saturday night, ordered pizza and watched Christmas comedies on the couch with our friends. Following Mass on Sunday, we got down to the wire on the final items that made the “Take to Wisconsin” cut. My family was probably ready to leave me in Tampa; I admittedly turned into a bit of a Nazi with regard to eliminating the clothes and crap they wanted to haul home. Somehow we got most everything into suitcases and checked through two uneventful flights to Austin Straubel Airport in chilly Green Bay. We were cold when we landed and even colder when we got to the rental house, where the thermostat was set to a brisk 50 degrees. Yowza! The house (which we own but rent out as an AirB&B) has since warmed up nicely, but I did go to bed with my stocking cap on that night!

Being back in the area is definitely surreal. So was stopping by our actual home on Monday. The renters told us we were welcome to come over and pick up some things; we did an almost “Supermarket Sweep”-style rush through the basement—grabbing hats, boots, Christmas tree ornaments and armfuls of warm clothes. Hope we got enough! Normally I fall squarely into the “cold never bothered me anyway” category, but my blood must have thinned out on our travels… Brrrr. I just can’t seem to get warm.

This week has seen us (well, mainly Bella, if I’m honest) reconnecting with friends, Tony working and Layners and I bringing home a real Christmas tree—one we weren’t sure we’d find just nine days before Christmas. We lucked out and the box we grabbed held a range of newer ornaments as well as some hand-made favorites and sentimental classics.

We are looking forward to reconnecting with a few neighbors and friends in town before embarking on our Christmas journey next week. I’m normally flipping my lid this time of year, scribbling meal plans and grocery lists, frantically trying to get ahead on prepping food, packing and wrapping gifts. This year we need to haul around less stuff, mainly because we barely fit in the Camry as it is, and I’m just going to have to grocery shop and wrap presents when we get where we’re going. At the same time, COVID concerns (Who should we see? Who wants to see us vs. who is just being polite? Should we wear masks?) make up for any perceived decrease in my anxiety. So I guess I’m still losing my mind!!

That being said, it would be foolish for me to waste one minute of this blessed, festive season by stressing or worrying. I know that there are so many others right now who have real problems in their lives, troubles with their health or financial concerns. Makes fretting over anything seem downright silly. I hope we will be able to connect with many of you in person these next few weeks. If not, know that we are sending our love and best wishes for a blessed Christmas — and get ready because we plan to do an epic reunion tour in Summer 2021!

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