Well, we made it. Whew!

In July, we abandoned our “no worries, mate!” life down under to venture back to the US for a whirlwind 3 weeks. It had been about 16 or so months since we had set foot on US soil and we were so excited to reconnect with friends and family – although, in hindsight, the trip passed much too quickly, with too much in our schedules and seemingly too little time to catch up with people we love.

The EPIC-SUMMER trip included:
-2 bachelorette parties
-1 couples’ bbq
-1 overnight trip from Minneapolis to Duluth
-2 rehearsal dinners
-1 potluck in our honor
-5 days in Colorado Springs
-1 baby shower thrown by us (and a few friends)
-1 bachelor party
-a 16 hour drive from Minnesota to Colorado
-A number of family dinners, game nights and happy hours with friends
…And last, but certainly not least, 2 very happy sisters and 2 new brothers in our families!

The photographers captured some of our favorite moments from our sisters’ weddings and the recap is definitely better with photos.

DAYNA (Kristin’s sister) MARRIES CHRIS
Primping

Me, performing my honorary-matron duties

My beautiful sis

The Big Day, The Happy Couple
 

My lovely family

CARA (Cole’s sister) MARRIES DENNY

A happy family reunited

A couple of couples

The day’s happiest couple

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
A baby shower for our dear friends Justin and Gretchen, who are expecting their first baby at the end of the year.

The best bbq menu that I didn’t cook but ate a lot of. We went with a few flavors that Gretchen likes and that we all have all been craving this summer – cilantro, lime and avocado and loosely incorporated these tastes into each of the main dishes.

Onesie making and dad-to-be design consultation

Amazing friends with sweet words of parenting wisdom on a perfect MN summer night.

Hiking in Colorado Springs

Driving on the normal side of the road

We were reminded of the rich history we share with friends and the ease of picking up where we left off. We loved being a part of these important events for each of our families too and overall, the trip was a treat in the middle of a (Melbourne cold) winter.

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SO WHAT’S NEXT FOR US?

We’re under 4 months and counting until we land in MN for good…at least for the next season of life. We’re just starting to think about what this transition means for us and how we want to set ourselves up when we go home. This has included lots of big life conversations like housing, jobs, where to live, kids, etc. All good, needed conversations and all a part of the “travel journey.” Still, overwhelming at times and daunting and exhausting and exhilarating. We’d love to tell you about it in person over a beverage soon.

We’ll be spending our last few months trying as many new restaurants as we can and getting out of the city a bit too.

Cheers!