2018 marks the first full year Dave and I have lived abroad. And what a parade of adventures it has been!
Of course, my plan was to blog extensively about each and every one. But alas, time–and a stupid Iphone photo configuration issue {GRRRRR}–has prevented that. But as I look back on the year and get excited for the next, I can’t help but revisit the places we’ve…well…visited.
We spent January in Rio learning Portuguese. I wrote about that here and here.
For carnaval in February, we road tripped through Curitiba (cool little Brazilian city) to Florianopolis (Brazilian island) to Blumenau (mountain town known for Oktoberfest).
Mid-March, we zipped over to our favorite quick beach getaway town: Guarujá. The end of March brought us jam sessions at Lollapalooza.
Early April, we fell in love with the mountain town of Campos do Jordão. When can we go back?!
The last weekend of April, we found ourselves on chilling on Boiçucanga Beach with a friend. I did my first open water swim there in training for a triathlon.
June and July took us home to friends and family in Colorado. We camped, hiked, spent 6 nights at a silent retreat, reconnected with friends, and visited with Dave’s family in the mountains. Oh yeah, and I completed my first sprint triathlon!
In September, I traveled with our senior class to Pernambuco. I swam in Recife waters, where some of the most deadly shark attacks are prevalent!
In October, we rented an AirBnB with some of our friends in Guarujá. We also attended one helluva Halloween party.
One Saturday in November, we attended one of the best beer festivals ever! We can’t wait for next year.
For November, we also drank a lot of wine and enjoyed stunning scenery in the beautiful Mendoza valley of Argentina.
And in two days, Santa is bringing us friends with whom we’ll ring in the New Year and do some more exploring of Brazil.
And then we start 2019 off right with a dream trip to Patagonia!
As I finish this post, I cannot help but think of one of my favorite Scriptures, Psalm 16:6:
