I am so grateful for this crazy, around-the-world adventure with the people I love best. And equally happy to be back home.

Although there may have been some mishaps, shenanigans and bad parenting along the way, we survived and even thrived through it all. And as the Chinese perceptively observed, we are very lucky to have such a “happy family.”

Since we’ve landed back home, people ask which destinations were our favorites. I’d say: Tonga, Tanzania and Australia.

Tonga was beautiful, blissful really. Small, perfect islands dot the horizon, each one ringed by halos of sand. Sailing the catamaran was exciting and there was always something to do: swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, or exploring. Having Jens’ parents Peter & Vera aboard made it more of a floating party. And we can’t forget dinner with the goat!

On the safari in Tanzania, the animals were right there! I expected the lions to be all sinewy, survival of the fittest and all. But those fat cats live in the land of plenty. We were more impressed with the lean cheetahs and leopards, who looked like they had to put some effort into their meals. In fact, we watched in awe as a cheetah took down a gazelle.

Speaking of fat cats, we lived large dining at the all-you-can-eat buffets. And it’s not like we could go for a jog to work off those extra calories – we weren’t even allowed to walk from the main lodge to our cabin at night without a spear-wielding Maasai guide to protect us from the man-eating carnivores!

Traveling down the coat of Australia in an RV was pretty sweet, especially if you are a kid and like to crawl all over everything. Every day we visited another quaint beach town to explore and surf. Highlights: 4 wheeling over the sand dunes on Fraser Island, swimming with the fish on the Great Barrier Reef, and feeding the kangaroos.

The biggest disappointment: the smog in Beijing. The dull sky is a sad contrast to their rich and colorful history. Despite the pollution, hiking on the Great Wall was pretty phenomenal.

I’m happy to be back home, already in the midst of soccer games, swim meets and beginning trumpet lessons. I’ve traveled the world and am confident we live in one of the best places on earth. We are blessed to live in America where there is clean drinking water, abundant wifi, and our dog Cody. Home has everything I need or want. Which is a good, because we maxed out our vacation budget for a while.

Until the next adventure…