I’ve dreaded writing this post because, well, it’s the end of a journey that we’ve dreamt about for a long time. We are so grateful for this opportunity and recognize that we are very fortunate to be able to say we went around the world. I did some math and Marshall checked it. We are among .00125 percentage of persons on the planet that will get to go on a World Cruise this year. That fact is not lost on us.

Are we going to miss the Island Princess and her crew? Oh, very much so. You get attached to these people very quickly and we are very fond of them. To each and every one of them, from our Steward Neil; to everyone in the Bordeaux; to our servers in the Wheelhouse, Crooners and Good Spirits; to the Cruise Director Andi and his team; and to each and every crew member that worked hard to make our journey safe, comfortable and fun, we send our heartfelt thanks and appreciation. We are grateful for you.

Are we going to miss our shipboard friends? You bet. We’ve made some wonderful friends on this journey. It is such a unique set of circumstances when perfect strangers meet on a ship and build a relationship over shared interests, shared excursions or shared meals, over just four months. And while some of these folks we may never see again, we are thankful that our paths crossed and for our special time together. Then there are the lifetime keepers; the ones that we’ll always be in touch with. For many of these folks, we’ve already made plans for future visits and travel. You know who you are and we are especially grateful for you.

Did we have some favorite places that we visited? Yes, indeed. For Marsh, it was Gibraltar, Tennerife Canary Islands, and Cape Town. For me, I’d say Cape Town, Capri, and Tennerife. However, we had so many terrific experiences across so many locations and countries, we could easily name others. We met so many wonderful people who were excited to share and show us their home, and we are exceptionally grateful to them. We were honored to meet you and hope to meet again.

Did we learn anything? Where do I start? Besides all of the practical lessons of planning and packing for an extended trip, what really struck us was how many life lessons bore out in these 4 months and we were regularly reminded of their importance. We learned again how important it is to surround yourself with people that match your outlook on life. You either look at things half full or half empty and we really avoided folks that took the later approach.  We were reminded of the importance of not judging a book by its cover and giving people the benefit of the doubt. This bore out over and over as we met new people and learned about their lives. We were taught that as much as you can plan, you still need to be prepared for the unexpected. This was particularly important with mental attitude, as we had much of our itinerary changed. And probably the most significant lesson was just how impactful kindness can be. Listen, I think Marsh and I are generally kind people. But this trip reminded us of the importance of looking for ways to be helpful, considerate, and kind. And for these lessons, we are grateful.

Are we ready to go home? We are. We’ve missed our family, friends and community back home, and those that we regularly catchup with by phone. Which takes us to our final gratitude thought. There have been so many of you that have reached out with a comment, a text, or a phone call over the last four months. We’ve appreciated each and every note of interest and encouragement. We are grateful for you and thank you for following us on this journey.

Next stop, tonight: Dublin, OH, USA