Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, and Where We’re Going?

Last Updated on September 18, 2023 by Kirsten Raccuia

(This is super late. But people have been asking for an update, so here it is…all of it.)

It’s been a while. A long while since I’ve written. And there are a lot of reasons for it. But mostly because I haven’t known what to write about. And… because I’ve been lazy. I’ve liked not adding more work for myself. I’ve enjoyed not putting pressure on myself to write weekly. It’s a lot.

I was trying to be present to each and every moment spent with family. They are precious, as you know, and often fleeting. And I didn’t want to miss the heartbeat of anyone I loved.

I realize that taking two days to research, write and plan a blog is a ton of work, and it’s hard. Especially when it is a labor of love and not bringing in much money. So, I got lazy. And loved every frigging minute of it.

But in the back of my mind, it was always there. Like my lil Jewish gramma nagging me not to eat something or wear a coat in the middle of summer just in case it gets cold out. It was always in the back of my mind. But, I knew I would get back to it one day, and now it seems like a good time.

So, let me step back and begin at the beginning of our time away from Malaysia.

Where we’ve been:

Sept-early Nov

First, I can’t believe it’s been 6 months since we left Penang. As you might know, there were such mixed emotions about leaving Malaysia.

But when we arrived in Chicago, and I reunited with my family after 2 long and somewhat painful years, I was beyond ecstatic. We were finally home and able to hug humans again.

And then I got covid and made my mom and her dog move out of her home. Thankfully, I felt fine, but the isolation was an emotional mother-fcker.

After 2 months in Chicago, it was time for me to head to Connecticut to see Mark’s family. He left a few weeks earlier to spend extra time with his family.

Nov-early Dec

The Family Road Trip

As soon as I got to the east coast and reunited with Mark after 19 days of being apart, we took a road trip. We grabbed his 91-year-old dad, Hugo, and headed for Cape Cod. Or as those in the know call it, The Cape. 

The Cape is where wealthy New Englanders and celebrities go to summer.

It’s a group of quaint little towns along the coast. And it’s def better visited in the summer and fall, but it’s also the peak season. And since that wasn’t an option for us, we went anyway.

The drive was a pretty one. The fall colors were still out. Not in full force. But the vibrant burnt orange and ruby remnants of the fall foliage were still evident.

On the way to Chatham, our Cape destination, we pulled over for oysters.

Not just any oysters but sustainably grown little nuggets being pulled from the sea in front of us as we ordered them. The Matunuck Oyster Bar has a heated outdoor deck to eat and watch the oyster-man in his thick waders and wellie boots.

He pulls the oysters from the pots as the seagulls steal them. If that wasn’t enough, he also seeds the oysters to make new baby ones. Yes, that’s a thing, I swear.

Turns out, a sustainable oyster restaurant playing Grateful Dead is one of my newfound happy places.

Anyway, after 2 dozen oysters and a bottle of champagne (there is no better combo), we were off again.  

Chatham, Mass

We got to Chatham a few hours later, unpacked and hopped in the car for a tour. Hugo wanted to show us around. He took us to all the famous and greatest places in the town. Some celeb homes, some bars, and a few restaurants. The town was pretty empty since it was low season. In fact, a lot of the little shops were closed.

But Chatham defines New England quaint with bright red lighthouses, cranberry bogs, and people with accents that somehow all sound like Markie-Mark to me.

The New England coastline is breathtaking. And not just because the cold literally took my breath away.

With long seagrasses breaking through the soft sand and seals playing in the water and causing an all-around ruckus, I could just imagine it heaving with people in the summer. It’s a place I’d happily return to in warmer months.

Portland, Maine

After 2 days in Chatham, we were off to see our friends Holly and Lyle in Portland, Maine. Another seaside town with a booming restaurant scene that has been flying under the radar for years. And finally, the other Portland is becoming a cool destination and coming into its own.

Something about Portland is edgy. It’s a young, vibrant place but has an old fishing village meets art school kind of vibe.

We were only in town for 2 nights, and we ate and drank our way through it.

Mark is a chip off the old block of Hugo, and they both love to eat and drink. Which is hard for me since I’m one of those girls who eats salads and drinks water. Ha! Who am I kidding? Those words have never left my mouth.

Imho, there is no point going to a town if the food sucks. Food and wildlife are the primary reasons Mark and I love to travel. Food is culture. Food is love. And food in Portland is hella good (did I really just write hella? What’s happening to me?).

Anyway, I digress.

A couple of food standouts need to be visited if Portland is on your radar. And if it isn’t, it should be.

Broken Arrow is a fan fave with a dark and sexy vibe that makes you feel oozy in the best possible way as soon as you enter. Its rustic regional dishes are beyond inventive and highlight the bounties of each season, all locally sourced in Maine. The craft cocktails are zero-waste and sustainable as well.

So, let’s break it down. Mouthwatering food and tantalizing cocktails all served up with a sexy vibe? What else could you possibly need?

Stay tuned for my future blog on what to do in Portland, Maine.

Connecticut Family Christmas Tree

But before we left Connecticut, we decorated Mark’s family Christmas tree. It was the first time that Hugo wanted a tree since Mark’s mom passed away.

So, into the attic, Mark scooted to try and find all the ornaments we assumed Hugo threw out. He’s known to do that. But much to Mark’s surprise, he kept every single ornament.

Next, it was time to find the tree.

I had images of Clark Griswold and family trudging through the snow to hack down a tree.

But it wasn’t quite as epic of a situation.

We went to the neighboring farm, looked at a few trees and picked one. Truth be told, it was a bit anticlimactic, but we did drive home with the tree hanging half out of the trunk of the car. So, I got my Griswold movie scene, after all.

No pics because I was in the back seat with a death grip on the tree in hopes it wouldn’t go flying out the trunk when he hit the brakes.

We knew putting it up was going to be emotional.

So, I decided to do what I do best in these situations… get everyone drunk. That’s my specialty.

I made a bourbon cider that went down all too easily. Hugo imbibed and went through each ornament, sparking memories he embraced. He did get emotional. But not enough to stop him from barking orders from the couch about where to put each ornament.

We finished the tree with a few tears, a lot of laughs, and a lot more bourbon ciders.

Before we left CT, we spent a couple of days in the burbs of Boston with dear friends we met Penang. Seeing them is such an integral part of our east coast trip. It was truly a joy to reconnect with such treasures after being gone for so long. It was as if we never left each other’s side, and we had to be pried apart after a few days.

Dec to Mid-January

Connecticut to Florida

Before we knew it, it was early December and time to drive to Florida.

We stopped for a quick 24 hours in Savanah, Georgia, and I can’t wait to get back there and spend more time. But after that, we made our way to Florida as planned.

We spent time in Orlando with Mark’s aunt, uncle, and humping Shih Tzu, who looks like Peter Dinklage from Game of Thrones. We hadn’t seen them since 2013, and it was an absolute pleasure.

Then we hopped over to Tampa to see a few friends we hadn’t seen in years either. They all welcomed us with open arms during the holiday season, and we couldn’t have felt more loved.

We spent most of our Florida time in Marco Island with what seemed like half of Chicagoland. Including my cousins.

In some ways, it’s a very sleepy community full of Midwest snowbirds and retirees. But there are a few bars around town, some fantastic restaurants and lots of dolphins and pelicans. The entire island is a series of canals full of boats and pontoons waiting to tootle off exploring something new.

More on what to do in Tampa and Marco Island in the future posts.

Where are we now?

So that leads me to where we are now.

At this very moment, I am writing from a bus in Mexico. We have been in living Puerto Vallarta since Jan 11. And now we are on the way to visit friends we met in Penang who just moved to Ajijic, a town on Lake Chapala.

The bus from PV to Guadalajara is surprisingly first class. We’ve been passing through rolling hills and mountains covered in lush green foliage. But the verdant green has just transformed into blue agave fields because we are near Tequila.

Yes, that’s a town. Not just cheap booze that made you throw up when you were young. Here, in the state of Jalisco, Tequila is art. One I hope to master in the next few days.

Where we’re going?

For the next few weeks, our plans are to stay in Puerto Vallarta.

We are watching the Malaysia border reports closely and really don’t want to return unless we don’t have to worry about quarantine. We know that home quarantine is a possibility, but we also know 3 out of 6 people who haven’t been granted it. And of course, it’s at the last minute. So, we are just minding our business and our time and moving along slowly, slowly, lah.

Meanwhile, we love Mexico and are enjoying the change of scenery.

I’m also eating my weight in tacos and washing it all down with mezcal and tequila. When in Rome, right?

Where we’re going in the future? That’s a great question. One I wish I could answer. But alas. I can’t. And I’m going with it, owning it, and embracing it. Because if the 80s movie, Risky Business, taught me anything, it’s that sometimes you just have to say, “What the fuck,” and roll with it.