My eyelids are closing, but here we are. End of the evening pause for gratitude for a very full day.

• Just a few more chapters of my current morning read (The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue), but I’ve been savoring them.
• My work day was booked solid with good, meaningful meetings and work. The kind of day where you just keep going until you are done, and sit back and just exhale deeply.
• I managed to get in lots of movement – 20 minutes on the bike, a good long walk with the dog, a mile run, and a flow to yin class.
• Trivia night! With the extended Wilkins / Foo Kune clan and friends.
• Leftovers from dinner last night: fresh tuna steak, potatoes, and green goddess dip from Trader Joe’s.
• Bertram has a new safety light for our evening walks. He looks like he’s having his own little rave.

Also, I finished the first leg of Circumpolar Race Around the World tonight – with #TeamBattleDucks – my mom, Lizzy, Heather, Caroline and Sondy!

We’ve gone 2513.53 miles from Texas to Panama. Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. (My mom leading the way with a wildly impressive 582.16!) Every week I write a recap of where we’ve traveled, the sites we’ve seen, fun facts, and of course FOOD! I’ve immersed myself in internet videos, Netflix food specials, Instagram location hashtags, and more. I’ve done a lot of reading of Spanish websites – not remotely surprising, the Wikipedia articles in English vs. Spanish often have a very different slant.

We’ve eaten a lot of tamales (both metaphorically and literally), seen amazing animals, traveled to volcanoes, lakes, beaches. We’ve learned quite a bit about history, people, and culture. From pre-Colombian history: the Huastecs, the Otomis, Olmecs! Totonacs and so many more. We’ve learned about many historical figures of note.

I’ve been diving into the economy, agriculture, and exports – and thanks to Trader Joe’s, enjoyed quite a few location specific small lot coffee. There has been a lot of seafood, and many a cheese that I’ve envied.
I’ve also enjoyed some new places locally and mail order – including Guatemalan/Salvadoran at Mi Tierra; and cheese from The Mozzarella Company.

I’ve picked up a few new cookbooks along the way. Can’t wait to continue the next leg of the journey! We start TOMORROW!

xo Sam