T-minus 3 days until we leave.

It was a weird Christmas season for us; we didn’t put up any decorations (since we were moving) and didn’t really do any holiday activities like Lincoln Park Zoo Lights or the CTA Holiday Train. But something about it not doing those things really made me appreciate any holiday spirit that was around. I loved driving around my parents’ neighborhood and looking at all the holiday lights. I loved looking at Instagram and seeing everyone’s families in matching pajamas. And so many corgi Instagram accounts that I follow dressed up like elves. I loved playing Connect Four with my parents in our basement bar. And I loved our relaxing Christmas Eve dinner with holiday tunes and a glass of wine.

Everything is moving fast, but after the big hurdles like moving were complete, it was nice to relax and take it in.

Something that we were especially thankful for this season is our families. They have been nothing but supportive of our dreams of doing this program. It’s not easy watching your kids pick up and move to a different country for six months, and they were with us every step of the way. My parents even came into Chicago two weekends in a row to help us finish up packing and help us move everything out. And we’re lucky that we have parents that are able to help us.

We finished out Christmas Day at Nick’s parents’ place in Carmel, Indiana. It was a nice, relaxing end to our holiday celebration.