Wednesday, 16 August 2017

Lost!

Thank you Smith's for the super fireworks to mark the end of our travels!! Ha ha!
What a week to end our trip. Great fun in Normandy with brilliant friends. In the back of our minds though, thoughts of getting back to reality.
At Charles de Gaulle. 
Feeling thoughtful.

Flight number 26, UK here we come

See ya France.
Hiya UK.
God Save the Queen.( At Gatwick)
We are greeted at Gatwick by one of our biggest fans who seems very keen to take us to Stansted just incase the reality is all to much.
Friends Reunited!!
Thanks Flo, Chris,William and Charlie for making our return so simple and so lovely. 

And it's gonna take a while.....the boys are straight back in there, hanging out with friends, chatting about the 'crazy' places they've been, eating peanut butter sandwiches like they haven't had them in 10 months, dodging showers, playing Xbox etc etc.
For Mark and I though, there seems to be this big space. It was filled with flights, apartments, people, currencies, delicacies, taxis, trains, insurance, beaches, bars, challenges, cafes, towers, streets, animals, oceans, adventures, excitement, anticipation, apprehension, and some wine! 
Now we're just not sure what to put there. The boys have moved seemlesly on as children do whilst we are left in a kind of limbo thinking 'what now?'

And as I stand alone in Flo and Chris' lovely garden Room, drinking a coffee and feeling more than a little bit lost, I know that there is so much to look forward too.
 And whilst our travelling adventures have come to an end I know that  we are about to start new adventures, make amazing new memories, and embrace our beautiful Norfolk.
We are changed though. Things will never be quite the same for us four. We could never have imagined that a world map in a Greek cafe in Norfolk could have led us down the path that it did. 
But what an awesome path!

I would like to thank my fellow travel companions. 
Mark, you have been enthusiastic, organised, ruthless, funny, open, excited and wonderful. Here's to more travels!

Elliot, you have been thoughtful, sensible, funny,  caring, adventurous, out going, adaptable and amazing. Never change.

Freddy, you have been crazy, kind, considerate, energetic, chatty, emotional, hilarious, curious and fabulous. Always ask questions. 

I have been blown away by people and places on this planet. 
Peace out.........xxxx

22 comments:

  1. Wow! U have just said it all- and so eloquently.
    Welcome home to us and very well done Jo Mark Elliot and Freddy Stevenson. XXXX XXXX 💕 💕 mum and dad 🙌 🙌

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  2. Your journey has SO inspired us! Stay tuned . . . our own blog is about to publish in the next week or so. . . !!

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    1. Can't wait Dawn. It's gonna be my new favourite thing. We will travel through you guys. Xxxx

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  3. Welcome home lovely people! A beautifully written blog! Xx

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  4. Soph, Kiz and I have just read this and are feeling emotional! Sheila we'll miss your comments too. You were almost as integral to the blog as Jo, Mark, Elliot and Freddie! Jo - look forward to a catch up soon xx

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    1. Well said Han! Have fun tonight ladies. Will catch up soon. Xxxx

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  5. Oh my goodness....your blog has been amazing... reading this today brought tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat. Hayley x
    Your blog has been part of our lives for the past year. Thank you for sharing your memories and your travels with us. Hayley, Dom, Louis and Joseph x x x x

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    1. Thank you for following and for all your great comments. Xxxx

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  6. wow can't believe your back! We have loved following your blog and seeing my little cousins grow up so fast. Wish I could come down to see u all but sadly im studding for exams next year. Can't wait till your here we have all missed u guys. Tell Elliot I have stopped biting my nails and the next time I see him I want to see nails on them fingers. Hope u all get back to normal stuff and enjoy school and work lots of love pop xxxx

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    1. Thanks Popster! Will let Elliot know about nails. Can't wait to see you all. Study hard and thanks for reading the blog.
      Love you guys xxxx

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  7. Welcome home, you will have mixed feelings for a while, I remember it well, but you will soon be used to being home and you will always have your wonderful memories of your amazing experiences and what you have done for your boys. It leads to a hunger to see more of the world and fantastic holidays in the future and of course that brilliant book Jo that you have so cleverly written the ending to. I will miss your Blog, so get writing. Lots of love to you all xxxx

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  8. Thanks Christine and thanks for following us and leaving your super comments. Feels strange but like you said we will always have the trip and the experiences and memories. Love to you all xxxx

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  9. What a fabulous blog, I'm going to seriously missing logging on and following your adventures. But as you say onto the next adventure and really looking forward to seeing you all soon. xx

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  10. Wait, it's not the end of the BLOG, is it?! Days have gone by with no update. The blackout is killing me. How are the Stevensons?! What did they do yesterday?! Did Elliot get a paper route? Did Freddie start school? How are Mark's new trainers holding up? What is Jo thinking about changes that have occurred in Norfolk since she's been away? And most importantly, what did they EAT yesterday?!

    Surfing the Turbulent Waves of Withdrawal over here in Eugene.... 😏

    XO
    Dawn

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  11. And so I woke this morning after a great evening with friends, wondering what the next year will bring.

    I wonder whether we will take another small trip?

    I wonder whether we will be brave enough for a larger trip?

    I wonder what is best for our children's future?

    I wonder whether the safety of "societies rules" is really that safe?

    I wonder what the Stevensons would do?

    I wonder what the Stevensons WILL do??

    I wonder where in the world we will meet them next?

    I wonder a lot and I think a life full of wonder must be wonder-full!!

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  12. And so I woke this morning after a great night with fab friends full of a cold!!

    There certainly is a whole lot to wonder about, it's a wonderful life!

    Even if our 2018 hook up is in Blakeney it'll still be awesome and we'll still talk about adventure and travel and wonder of course!

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  13. And so i woke up from a great night with friends and thought about buying new shoes!!! (Always needed when travelling as well) !!

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