The journey has begun......  With the hard work of Brynion and her relentless attention to detail, we managed to pack away our personal belongings and hand our house over to some great folks.  The weeks, days, and hours leading up to this point have been filled with anxiety, stress, and sleepless nights.  When we got to PDX though, we were meet with the feeling of excitement.

Our first layover was in Vegas for seven hours.  After collecting our luggage and rechecking it, we did a bit of exploring the strip with all of the vim and vigor of travelers just beginning a journey.  We then boarded another plane for Mexico City.  After landing and making it through customs, we collected our luggage yet again, and rechecked it for our next leg to Lima.  Our Mexico City layover was five hours so we hunkered down (this time with much less enthusiasm) in the terminal to sleep.   I can't begin to communicate how amazing the kids have been.  Not ONCE have they said they don't want to go or complain that they are bored or that the layovers are too long.  They have the adventurous spirit it takes to be on this journey.  

This trip has it's own meaning for each of us. We all have the common desire though to deepen our connection with each other, and to the world around us.  It's life's experiences that we value most.  I am blessed to do the work I have for the last 9 years; especially the last 2-3 years.  I have been able to be my own boss, but I am also my worst enemy.  I have often let work interfere with my family time, as well as my ability to be present in this wonderful world.  Of course, when it comes time to take a break from it all, the universe has way of playing games with you. If there is one thing that all real estate agents agree on it's that is when you plan a vacation, all the buyers and sellers will land in your lap and work will be crazy prior and during your trip.  I have experienced this many times over.  It's always a blessing to have the work, it just gets mixed up with your down time. Thus, it was no surprise that I was juggling work up until the moment we took off and will continue to work throughout our trip.  I have prepared myself for this as I want to make sure the work that I have started gets completed without any hiccups.  

The title to our blog, "ctrl-alt-delete," speaks to the idea of using this trip to get back in a head space that is not clouded by work and everyday life. To "reboot" my way of thinking. The one thing I have learned during my international travels is that travel puts you in a "here and now" state of mind. You are fully open to new experiences and new ideas. That is what I want out of this trip. I also look forward to the opportunity to share the joys of travel with my kids and with Brynion.  It's going to be a wild ride that I hope will be documented and shared on this blog for our family, our friends, and ourselves after this trip is a distant memory.  

I put together this video using GoPro Quik see link below.  It's an amazing edit studio that splices together any number of videos and pictures faster than I can blink.  Hopefully these videos will help you get a feel for our adventures.

Currently, we're in Lima at an Airbnb in Miraflores.  It's is the perfect place for us to stay and to kickoff this trip in great way.
 
vimeo.com/186513176