It's like we never left.

Hard to believe that after a countdown of 100+ days and a 5 week vacation that we have now been home for a week and it's like we never left. It is no surprise that our trip was full of stress and challenges, but there are also some happy memories that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives. Why is it though, that it is so much easier to hang on to the bad memories? I have been asked countless times how our trip was and it's been hard for me to come up with an answer that I am happy with. So after trying to describe it to friends this past week, the best answer we came up with is that the trip was "life as usual for the Pearsons".

This past week has been filled up with trying to get the boys back in their normal lives and I've been trying to continue on in my pursuit of minimalizing our home. Our whole "American" experience really cemented in me the desire to get rid of all the unnecessaries in our lives. I want to live in a home environment that we can enjoy and appreciate to the fullest. The distractions and stress that clutter brings just isn't worth it. This was the first trip that I have EVER been on in my life that did not involve any shopping (I realize that a few of you are cringing at the moment...) and it was hard at times. When we were walking through Downtown Disney there were so many moments that I wanted to buy something, but I kept coming back to the thought "what was I actually spending my money on?". I had just spent weeks selling, sorting and donating boxes and boxes of stuff from my house. Did I really want to buy something else to fill up the space? And did I really want to part with my money for another "thing"? And everytime, the answer was "no". The boys did spend their own money and they bought a few things that they wanted/liked, but we left home with carry-on luggage only and we returned with even less. It was so refreshing to come home and not have a few days worth of unpacking and putting away to do. At the end of the day, I liked it. It shocked me though to think about how pulled I was to spend money on "stuff". The emotions that surrounded shopping, money, and wanting things were strong and powerful. I made a conscious decision in the summer to not spend any money impulsively this year. If I wanted or needed something I had to be able to walk away and wait a week or so before a purchase and that is hard. But it is proving to be a worthwhile ambition for me.

This week is full of Dr's, dentists, teachers, etc and hopefully a return to normal life. I am also going through the Christmas stuff and determining what we are going to use and keep this year. With my mom gone, this is the first year that we have to break the patterns of all the Christmases of the past. This is the first year I have to establish traditions for my own family. This is the year that we get to have change. We will keep the best of past traditions and we will add some new ones to the Pearson's list. One thing is for certain, the Pearson's are ready to wrap up this year and continue to move forward into the next one. No regrets.