Discovery: The itch

The “itch” first presented itself back in 2015. I met my husband on a blind date back in 2012. Skipping the sappy stuff (more on that later), we found ourselves in the typical wedding planning conundrum: The day was supposed to be about us creating a lifelong memory we would be able to reflect on for the rest of our lives, but we constantly found ourselves wondering if our plans would ensure Judy would have a good time. I should explain; Judy is not a real person (at least in this story). Judy is a member of our family. Judy is one of our friends. We were so caught up in worrying about Judy’s perfect day, we found ourselves planning an experience we did not actually want. Solution? Destination wedding! I get it, not necessarily a popular choice with the religious or spiritual crowd, or those with a fear of flying, but it turned out to be one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.

We were married on the Caribbean island of St. John in May of 2015, surrounded by 25 of our closest friends and family.  Upon returning to the continental U.S., we threw a backyard bash for the remaining friends and family members who weren’t able to make it to those turquoise waters.  Oh, and for those of you thinking we’re one-percenters with a huge budget…  The cost of the twelve-day trip and backyard party for a hundred people combined, still cost us about one-third of the typical American wedding in 2015. 

Oh yeah, that itch.  The trip was absolutely amazing!  Go ahead, ask anyone that was there!  The only problem was we soon discovered that we wanted to keep moving, to keep exploring, and that relentless itch for travel was born.  Nothing else was born though, we know what you’re thinking.  More on that later.  See the section lovingly titled, “Dinks”.  I think you get the gist.