Time for Vacation!

Trip Start Oct 01, 2003
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Trip End Jul 29, 2008


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Friday, April 18, 2008

I'm actually writing this in July, many months after we got out of McMurdo Station. We ended up staying for a special "extended season", that went until April 17. There was a science group down there studying organisms as the sun went down (that's probably an extremely simplified version of what they were studying). So, there were around 100 of us that got hired on to stay. I worked on the Retro team, and our task was to gather supplies to store back in Christchurch--the goal being to reduce the "footprint" at McMurdo. I'm not really convinced that that system will work, but it was an enjoyable way to spend the last couple months working. So, in the end our "short four month contract" turned into 7. As a result of the longer contract we were very anxious to get out when we finally did.
Our time off consisted of lots of visiting friends and family. First though we got in 9 days vacation in New Zealand. We actually didn't travel much further than Christchurch this time around--but did get out to one of the beaches one day, and lots of walks around the city and into the Gardens
Buddy the kitten
Buddy the kitten
. We ate alot too--we are now officially experts on a what a good Korean dish Bi Bim Bap should taste like.
Next stop... L.A.--to stop by and see family. A quick stop in Minneapolis to hang with the cousins and then onto Florida to visit some more family that we hadn't seen in ALOT of years. This trip included our first time on wave-runners and my first time at a warm, white sandy beach. I could see going to visit there again for sure.
Stop 4 is back to Minneapolis, just for Ronny and I to hang out on our own. We rented a cheap, retro hotel room across from the Mall of America and went to happy hour at Chilis (or someplace like that). Heading then to Bozeman, Montana to hang with some of our best friends--who we hadn't seen in two years (way too long). It was a fun visit, good to finally catch up with them all again.
Finally back home. It was a whirlwind month--probably with too much crammed in for comfort. We were both really worn out by the end of it. But it's not often that you get a full month off, not having to worry about prior commitments or jobs or houses or pets. So, we took advantage of it and crammed the visits in.
I wanted to write this last Travelpod entry because I don't like it when people leave them unfinished--it always makes me wonder if they made it home okay.
Well, we're doing more than okay--doing great in Northern Minnesota and happy to be living a regular settled life; we even got a kitten!
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