Happy One Year Anniversary!!!

Today is DAY 365 of our Great Family Adventure!!!!! Hooray!! I can't believe we're already at this point! Just yesterday I looked over the pictures we've posted on our Instagram feed and was blown away by all the adventures we've shared over the past year. We are so thankful for everything we've experienced and are glad we decided to leap into the unknown to do this. As with anything, there have been bad days, good days, horrible days, and awesome days, but if we could go back and do it all over again, we absolutely would.

In honor of this milestone, my husband and I thought you might like to see an update from the kids.* Enjoy!

- Jen

Oldest Son
I think I have had a pretty memorable trip, from flying in Alaska to eating lobster in Maine. Here is a short summary of what I have seen and done.

In Alaska, I enjoyed my first discovery flight to see if I wanted to be a pilot and so far, I really want to be one. In Idaho/Wyoming I stayed in a log cabin near Jackson Hole and saw moose in the back yard. Arizona was very picturesque with its mesas and red rocks near where I was staying. Florida was the same as always since I visit every year but I did see Key West which was new and strange. In Maine, I was able to drive down to Virginia and see my friends and family for my aunt's wedding and my other aunt's graduation. And lastly in Kentucky, I haven’t been here very long but I can’t wait to see Mammoth Caves and try some new food.

Daughter
Over the past year we've been to many places and seen many things. Some of the things that I especially remember took place in Alaska, Idaho, Florida, and Arizona.

In Alaska I saw one of my friends and tried cultural foods like; pierogi, borscht, Kinder surprise eggs, and Canadian style sour cream.

In Idaho I stayed in a big house in a kind community. There was even a drive-in theater, except we did not go to it.**

In Florida we went to Disney World!! I loved going to Epcot the most because I got to try their food and learn about different cultures. My mom enjoyed going to a quilting group at the local library. While at the Magic Kingdom we tried a Dole Whip for the first time!

In Arizona I saw another one of my friends, though for very little time. Christmas was great because we learned a lot about the local culture and traditions. We also saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and now that it is out on DVD, we got it!

In Maine we had a lot of seafood. It tasted so good! Especially the crab. It snowed the day before we got there but the snow disappeared soon after. We drove to Virginia for a week or so for my aunt's graduation and my other aunt's wedding. We returned back to Maine and soon after left for Kentucky.

In Kentucky we saw fireflies! And again, at last, we have a good backyard for the dogs. It even has a playset! Unlike Maine, we can check out books from the library here. I got a lot of books about languages. They also have the Kentucky Derby here. We got to see a mini race at the Derby Museum.

We saw a lot this year but I am very excited to return home.

Youngest Son***
Instead of writing a paragraph, this is a list of the things I've done this year that I liked.

- I've been to Disney World
- I went to Chena Hot Springs
- I've been to the Musk Ox Farm
- Iditarod Museum
- Idaho Pizza
- Aurora Borealis
- Boy Scout Camp
- IHOP Chicken and Waffles
- Storm
- Yellowstone
- Cousins
- Drive Thru Tree
- Halloween
- Washington
- Four Corners
- Antelope Canyon
- Javelina
- Luminaries
- Snow
- Turkey (Thanksgiving)
- Fantastic Beasts
- Cars 3
- Beignets
- Epcot
- Rocket Launch
- Everglades
- Iguanas
- Key West


* The posts above are in the kid's own words and chosen format.

** It was closed for the season.

*** A few things on this list might be cryptic if you haven't been following our adventure for that long. If you have any questions, just ask. We'll be happy to respond. :-)