Proof

Someday, many years from now, we’re going to need proof for our kids. Proof that we actually did all these crazy trips in a 3-month span. Proof that the whole experience was as rewarding as it was challenging. Proof that this world has so much excitement to offer.

What I’m finding though, is a different kind of proof, one that I wasn’t expecting:  Proof that being away from our everyday lives and going on an adventure like this leads to closer family ties.  Now, it’s not totally true that I wasn’t expecting this…I hoped being together in a foreign country would bring us all closer, and, especially, would further build a bond between the brothers. But for all I knew, the extra close, non-stop contact might also burn us all out.

Now, of course there have been battles, and it hasn’t been all roses, and sometimes you need proof that things were hard, people were grumpy, and everything wasn’t perfect:

 

But in spite of the difficulties, every once in a while you see something like this:

or this:

or this: 

And you say to yourself, there’s proof that this was all worth it.