KC to Kiwi ... and back again

Nine weeks, 13 flights, seven countries, countless trains and buses, five currencies and 30 different hotel rooms. Our world tour was incredible.

We had the opportunity to experience some of the world's most impressive sights such as the Great Wall and the Sistine Chapel, and also visit some of our great family and friends overseas. I kept a journal and took more than 2,800 photos -- that's about 44 per day! I wish I could have shared our pics and stories here but I'm afraid I was too busy enjoying the trip.

We've been in Kansas City for about a week now and plan to start settling in here. We've already received some tips from friends on houses that are for sale. With all of our New Zealand adventures still very fresh in our minds, it's hard to believe that we're no longer there. Although it's abundantly obvious we're in America. There's no mistaking the big roads, big cars, big stores and big meals.

I've read that returning to your home country after being abroad can be more of a culture shock than leaving in the first place, and I think knowing that ahead of time has helped me with the transition. It's certainly a strange sensation.

We're happy to be here and excited about buying our first house and catching up with everyone. Jake's going back to work in the KC office in a week and I'll start my job search before too long. Wow, even though I worked while we were overseas, it still feels like I've been on vacation for a couple of years!