It Was A Very Good Year

Posted on by Laura & Brett

2018 was a wonderful year for us. We are well, our family is well and working toward their goals, and everything that we wanted and needed to happen, happened. After several rejections or places on a waitlist, YaYu was accepted at one of her top college choices and she’s now working hard and having a grand time. Although it meant saying goodbye to Kaua’i, we met our saving goals for the Big Adventure and finally put our plan in motion and set out on our travels at the end of August.  Brett and I saw and experienced places and things last fall that we never thought we would in our lifetimes, and we are ready to continue with Part II. We even got our deposit back from our awful landlord, something we did not think was going to happen unless we took him to court this year.

We have 11 more months of travel to look forward to this year, although some of that will be three-month stays in Japan, Portland and England. We’ll be in Portland again next summer, staying on the west side of the Willamette River for a change and living without a car, new experiences for us, so it will still be something of an adventure. Wrapping around our Portland stay will be visits to India, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and England – we can’t wait!

If this year is anything at all like the past year, time is going to slip by very quickly. Somewhere in all our gallivanting around we’re going to have to make a decision about where to land once our travels are over. Even if we decide we want to keep going in some fashion, we need some sort of a solid home base once again. Where that will be is still unknown, with our ideas currently like a bowl of jello, setting along the outside rim but with the center still quite liquid and jiggly. Eventually though everything will firm up and we’ll know where we’re heading.

Do Brett and I have any goals for this year? Of course – we always have goals! Most are fairly general and the same as last year, but we have added one new one at the end:

  • Get where we need to be on time.
  • Enjoy ourselves and each other’s company wherever we are.
  • See and do as much as we can in each place we visit without overdoing it or feeling guilty if we miss something.
  • Stick with our budget, live small, and don’t buy anything unless necessary or planned.
  • Make a firm decision on where to settle when we’re done and then work toward getting ourselves ready to be there at the beginning of December.

Everything else is fluid, with several unknowns right now. They can be planned for later.

I’m not sure we can top last year, but we’re going to try very hard. 2018 was a very, very good year!

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Published by Laura & Brett

Slow traveling the world with a sense of adventure!

15 thoughts on “It Was A Very Good Year”

    1. The arrival of the refund was a complete surprise. Brett accidentally dialed the landlord when we were in Italy, and once again he started in with lies and excuses, saying he would have a check in the mail. But after three weeks and no check we were resigned with having to take him to court – and then out of the blue his check arrived. No note, sent through regular mail. We have no idea what got him to send the refund, but something got to him. He kept 10% of the deposit, but we wrote that off as the cost of doing business with him and a lesson learned.

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  2. Excellent news about your deposit! I thought that was gone for sure, based on the posts when you were leaving Kauai. What a lovely way to end the year.

    Can’t wait to follow along on your new adventures!

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    1. We thought our deposit was gone too, or at least unless we took him to court. We have no idea what finally made him return our deposit (minus 10%), but we are glad to be done with him.

      We’ve already started packing up for Phase II – we’re sad about saying good-bye to the girls but excited to start traveling again.

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    1. It was a busy year for us, but a good one. We’ve got our fingers crossed that 2019 goes as well.

      Big thanks for being such a loyal reader and commenter! I always love hearing from you.

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  4. I have been following along with your adventures and can’t wait to see what the new year holds for your travels.

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    1. We have a lot going on this year, that’s for sure, but we’re looking forward to all of it. The first month and a half will be very busy (and probably tiring), but then we’ll settle into three long stays (Japan, Portland, England), which has become our preferred way of seeing and getting to know a place.

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  5. Nice recap! It was indeed a good year in many ways, and I look forward to following along in 2019.

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    1. We did have a very good year last year and we feel like 2019 will be just as good (and no awful landlord to deal with). We really have turned into nomads though – we have enjoyed moving around, and are not ready to settle down yet although we know it’s coming.

      We’re looking forward to being on our way again – the suitcases are being packed as I write, and we’ve just got a couple more “Portland things” left to do.

      Wishing you and yours a wonderful new year!

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  6. I so enjoy reading your blog! I am looking forward to reading about your trip to Australia, as I have always wanted to go there!

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    1. Thank you, Cindy! I have long wanted to visit to Australia too (Brett has visited three times already, courtesy of the navy), but this trip will take care of a couple of bucket list wishes – our train ride across the continent will fulfill a long-time dream of Brett’s, and I will also get to not only visit Sydney but have a reunion with my older brother and his wife – he has lived in Australia for nearly 40 years! They know their way around and we’ll get to see and do some things we probably wouldn’t otherwise.

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    1. Happy New Year to you as well! We are ready to go! The next few weeks will be busy but then we’ll get to settle in to Japan for awhile and we’re greatly looking forward to that.

      Our landing spot may just be transitional. We’re at a stage right now where one place seems like a good idea for a couple of weeks, but then another pops to the top of the list. Eventually though we will settle on something. I’m just grateful we don’t have to decide right now.

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  8. An AMAZING year! And you worked very hard to make it happen. WooHoo for getting 90% of the deposit back without having to go to court. It is a nice stash to have for when you “settle” down in December.

    Can’t wait to follow along on this year’s adventures. Bon Voyage!

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