Before this journey begins, I want to start with a letter – to you, Mark – my husband, my best friend, my partner in all the madness and magic. And to the three wild, wonderful little humans we made together, who are already the best crew I could ever ask for.

After you and I returned from our last trip, life didn’t exactly pause. It unfolded—beautifully, painfully, unexpectedly. There were days filled with joy, and others full of heartache. We navigated through dramas, surprises, challenges, and quiet little miracles. And through it all, you were there—steady, kind, always pushing forward.

You didn’t just give me three incredible boys (though that alone would have been enough). You gave me a home… you built me one too — in a place I never expected to fall in love with. A place that somehow, quietly and completely, became my place. Starnberg isn’t just where we live. It’s where we’ve grown roots. Where neighbours became friends, and friends became our lifeline—people who held us when things were hard and celebrated every tiny win with us when the sun came out again.

I’m so grateful for them…. every single one of them… as they feel like family now… for this place. For all of it.

I’m so happy we get to do this trip together—not just because it’s something we’ve dreamed about, but because I know what we get to come back to. A home we built, a community that caught us, and a life that, even on the messy days, feels deeply ours.

And Mark… I love you for everything you are. For dreaming big with me, but also for having the grit and the grace to make those dreams real. You still amaze me—every single day. I don’t know how I got so lucky to find you who understands this life I want to live, and who isn’t afraid to chase it, even when it’s hard… and who never gives up on those rainy days.

So this is where we start. With love, gratitude, and the wind at our backs.