I'm Back

Although I guess that depends on to whom you talk. If you ask family and friends stateside, they'll tell you I'm leaving them again....for a year or so....again. But this time, I will be sharing my worldly experiences with my wife, Sara.

Most of you know I am now married, and for those of you who don't, now you do. Here's a recap of how the whirlwind romance unfolded:


-I got back from my year-long RTW trip Dec. 2012.
-Started working again Jan. 2013-mid Feb 2013 in Williamsburg, VA.
-Started another job assignment in Fredericksburg, VA end of Feb. 2013
-Met Sara at a sushi restaurant at the end of March 2013
-Officially started dating at the beginning of May 2013, and by the end of the month, we were living together
-We agreed to marry each other by the end of June, although she didn't get her official proposal/ring until the   end of July 2013 during an early morning hot air balloon ride high above Maryland's Eastern Shore.
-We tied the knot November 29 2013 in a small ceremony at the end of the pier at my parent's home. My       brother officiated the wedding after becoming an online minister.
-My work assignment in Fredericksburg VA ended Nov 1. When I started my new assignment after the         wedding, I was once again living and working in Maryland, while Sara continued to live in work in Virginia. -We would see each other only on weekends until she quit her job at the start of May 2014 and moved all       of her belongings to my home in Maryland.
-At the time I write this post, I will work 1 more week and then on May 28 2014, we embark on what could   be a journey lasting the better part of a year.

My trip in 2012 taught me many things upon which I reflected in some of my final blog posts that year. One post in particular, unbeknownst to me at the time, actually contained some of my wedding vows and the qualities I was seeking in a lifelong partner. Sara has 'em all. She is smart, witty, organized, spontaneous, and beautiful. She thinks like I do, and following our first few dates, I knew I had found the woman of my dreams, and a travel partner willing to see and just about anything. And now we get set to embark upon a RTW journey/honeymoon which will span at least 4 continents.

A rough itinerary is as follows:
A week in Iceland starting on May 28.
Early June-July 1: Scandinavia and Baltic Countries
July: Morocco and Tanzania
Aug-End of Sept: Turkey, Eastern Europe, Munich Oktoberfest
October-End of November: China, Tibet, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka
December-Early 2015: Great Britain

Where we go after Great Britain in 2015 is a mystery. Perhaps more Central Europe, maybe southeast Asia, or perhaps Australia. Will see where the money takes us. We will most likely end our trip visiting family and friends back in the states, before coming home to Maryland and starting a family.

I'm looking forward to seeing friends all over the world. New destinations await, along with some familiar ones. A life spent backpacking alone is now a life to be spent backpacking with my wife. I'm selfishly excited to see new destinations, but I'm even more excited to experience Sara.

Exciting times, no doubt. It certainly feels strange to be leaving home again, especially since Sara has spent the last month turning 'my' home into 'our' home. Following my trip in 2012, I never thought I'd be fortunate enough to be able to travel for another year, but I never thought I'd be married either. Guess you just never know where life's road will lead.