To Russia, Israel & Jordan, with Love

Hello there!

In 48 hours we’ll be off and jetting around the world. We’re excited, and yet a bit sad. Josh and I are both surprised by this emotion- as so much energy, time and joy has gone into planning this journey, yet saying goodbye to friends and family as we pack our bags and check everything twice has been bittersweet. We’ll miss our amazing community of friends here in Nashville, seeing our family, being in our garden, Luna’s school and her friends, eating our favorite meals, and just the daily humdrum of life. Yet adventure awaits us.

We’ve shifted our itinerary over the past week. Due to the violence and unstable climates in Russia, Israel and Jordan, we have decided to let them all go and be safe and go drink wine in Italy. Not such a bad trade off, if you ask me. Although, initially, it was a very tough decision. I haven’t often been derailed by world conflict and chaos, and it was with a heavy heart that we conceded. In a way, it felt like I was playing a board game- can’t go to Russia because of threats, can’t go to Jordan because of ISIS knocking on their door. Can’t go to Israel because of rockets barreling towards the places we were going. We were also going to be traveling through the West Bank, and we aren’t willing to take the chance that Luna could ever be at risk.

As parents, we are focused on maintaining rhythm for Luna when we are away, something we believe is very important. We’ll be doing a circle to greet each day, and blessings each night. We’ve integrated them into our daily lives these past two months so that they feel like we are carrying “home” with us. Here’s my favorite (written by Josh):

Wherever we may wander,

Wherever we may roam,

As long as we’re together

We’ll always be at home.

The next time you hear from us, we’ll have some miles under our belt!

with love,

Carly