Today, here on the last day of summer, September 21st, 2020, Caroline applied for U.S. Citizenship! It was late when we finally finished answering the long list of questions and sent the myriad documents required. After 25 years in America, she’s finally moving on from Permanent Resident (meaning Green Card Holder) to a naturalized American citizen who will gain the right to vote. There’s not a lot more to share as in so many ways she’s been an American for a long time already, having visited all 50 states, walked in the halls of the White House, been to the top of the Statue of Liberty, rafted the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, snowshoed in Yellowstone, snorkeled in Hawaii and the Florida Keys, learned to weave and make yarn, danced in a saloon, fired guns, ridden steam trains, ate Rocky Mountain oysters, got drunk in New York City, got her Associates Degree, was the president of a fiber guild, slept in a hogan, cried romantic tears more than once at Disney, and a million other amazing impressions that have been seared into our hearts during this time of witnessing the American character and having some of that seep into her own.

If time and good health are smiling upon us, we’ll be able to share another 25 spectacular years discovering new things or revisiting some of the wonderful, unforgettable places we’ve already enjoyed. Our curiosity to wander plays a large role in this development as there are particular benefits to be found with Caroline becoming a citizen that we’ll share in a future post. Oh, I can point out that all this happening today was a surprise to both of us, but conditions happened to align that pushed things along. Then, it was also the day for the first time in over six months that I met up with someone at my favorite coffee shop; yes, they have outdoor seating, and the temps are low enough for the heat to be tolerable.

But that’s not all. Tomorrow, Caroline will mask up and head into the office for the first time in 6 months. After all this wonderful time of her working from home and us spending 24/7 together, she needs some feedback and interaction with her boss, as online meetings can only get you so far when the task at hand is overwhelmingly complex. So, in one 24-hour period, everything changes, including the finalization of our upcoming travel plans. What a strange note to end this summer with, but then again, this entire year of peculiarity on a planet where great change is happening everywhere should have been the indicator that, of course, things will be different.