What a beautiful experience trying to explain the depth of joy that comes to my heart when I get to connect with people in real life and make new lifelong friends!
This is our friend, John P McKenzie, aka #johnthetraveler or #johnthecurioustraveler.
We first met John in October of 2022 in an online community at the time called Location Indie. A group of 15 of us Indies met for the first time in Bansko, Bulgaria, in June of 2023 at the Bansko Nomad Festival.
It was thrilling!
The name has since changed, but a large percentage of the community still exists and is thriving.
(Check out Indie Life Collective here)
John reached out to us about a month ago, wondering if we would like to meet up here in Des Moines, Iowa, as he would be traveling through and would love to connect. Unfortunately, John wasn’t able to make it to Bansko that Summer, so this was an amazing opportunity.
Heck yes!
Major Life Update
What some of you might not know is that on September 23rd, I had major shoulder reconstruction due mostly to terrible joint genetics, but significant wear-and-tear that may have been added to by dragging luggage around the world.
I mean, who knew?
I honestly don’t remember having significant pain until after returning in May of 2025 to make our Summer Tour visiting family in America. Jeff remembers me having some pain after going grocery shopping occasionally, but I don’t.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?
So, when our daughter posted the above photo of us together after I woke up in recovery, letting family and friends know I was on the other side of surgery and on to healing, I was truly brought to tears by so many we already knew, but also those that we had met in our travels that had become new, lifelong friends, and we had added to our circle.
Gena and Robert Marini from Sarandé, Albania, who own and operate our favorite restaurant there.
Celeste and Jason from Canada and Eastern Europe
Danuta from Poland and Switzerland,
Susanne and her husband from Greece,
Svetlana from Bulgaria,
Beverly and Phoenix from the Republic of Georgia,
Lesia from Ukraine,
Palle Bo from Denmark,
and from the U.S., whom we met overseas: Michelle and Jason, Randy, Rebecca, Lisa, Stavroula, Ali, Anna, Roxanne and James, Stacey, Chuckie and James, and so many more!
New Friends in America!
Then there are those we never would have known had we not come to Iowa.
Our new family at the Greek Orthodox Church of St George here in Des Moines, Iowa have truly been such a gift to us! Thank you for welcoming us into your hearts as newbies to your circle. One even welcomed us into his home as roommates. Thank you, Gavin!
My wonderful co-workers at Methodist West ER, you are the best!
It has been a joy getting to know you all! We have done some pretty hard things together, but have also celebrated some beautiful life experiences, too. Thank you for being so kind and opening your circle to me!
Even the friendships we have made with our baristas at the Starbucks on Ingersoll Avenue, especially Phillip, whom we met on our first visit to Des Moines in 2023, have opened their circle and welcomed us as friends.
Here’s to the Future!
We are forever grateful for YOU!
Whether we have known you for a lifetime or have recently added you as friends, you mean the world to us!
Thank you for your love and support. Thank you for blessing us by opening your circle and becoming our friends.
We are not meant to walk this life alone…
…so let’s keep doing it together!
Thank you, John, for connecting with us during your travels! It was wonderful to finally meet you and hear some of your amazing excursion stories. We look forward to staying connected.
And cheers to the future of OUR travels and our circle continuing to grow!!
