Imagine spending nine months of your life constantly looking for somewhere to sleep. Yeah, not so easy. Thankfully, this didn’t continue when we came home to Milwaukee to rest. We had many friends offer to let us rest our heads at their places. One person thought we were nuts to stay with friends instead of getting a hotel room. We thought of it as another adventure.

We first landed in the suburbs with our parents. While it was excellent to bond with them again, it was also a reminder of why we leave our parents’ homes as young adults. Sorry, Pop. Besides, the isolation of the country was beginning to wear on our cosmopolitan sensibilities. After ten days, it was time to move.

We then enjoyed a stop in Wauwatosa, staying in a bustling family household that includes three children. Immensely enjoying the walkability of the village area and the proximity to just about everything one needs, Ken proclaimed that he was falling in love with Tosa. We enjoyed the comings and goings of kids with tennis, music, dance, science, fashion, and lots and lots of LEGOs on the daily agenda.

Just when the kids were wearing us out, we were whisked into an empty-nester household in Tosa, where we could savor the solitude and enjoy evenings filled with good cheer and delicious margaritas. We quickly learned that this living with friends business could be hazardous to our livers.

Our next major move brought us into the Riverwest neighborhood. Living near the Milwaukee River and across the street from Alterra, we filled our spirits with nature, and I filled my belly with coffee. We enjoyed Riverwest’s tiki bar, splash pad, wooded hiking trails, and 24-hour bike race. However, our favorite thing about Riverwest was at our hosts’ home: Daisy the dog! We enjoyed cuddling with our furry friend and caring for her when her people were on vacation.

While we delighted in hanging with our good friends, sharing their time and space, we realized it was time to be in our own space. Imagine our joy when we were offered a rent-free apartment for two months. Buying a second home and converting the first floor into his new office space, our friend said we could stay in the upstairs apartment. Sure, we have to put up with the noise of construction work, yet it feels freeing to have our own space. And we are back in our old ‘hood, about a mile and half away from our old house. Surrounded by familiarity, we settled in quickly.

The comforts of home

It’s a tremendous feeling knowing that so many people want to help us out. Yet it’s not a huge surprise. We opened our home to people in the past and look forward to the day when we can do it again. Call it spinning the big Karma wheel. What goes around comes around.

So many thanks to our parents, Phillip, Larissa, Nadia, Gavin, Skylar, Pam, Mark, Diane, Jeff, Di, Gary, Colleen, and Rich for opening your homes and your hearts to us. We are grateful for all you have done and wish you continued blessings in your future. And should you need a place to stay…