Constant Beginnings

We spent another amazing Thanksgiving experiencing a new country. Iceland. It was cold, but beautiful. Our trip was a perfect mix of relaxation, family time and tours. We had scheduled a cruise to see the Northern Lights on Thanksgiving Day, hours after we arrived, but sadly, it was cancelled due to snow and wind. We wandered around the hotel a bit, found a delicious hamburger joint and filled our tummies. Afterwards, we checked into the hotel took a much needed nap and gathered our thoughts as to where to dine for dinner. We decided to keep the evening low key and ate in the restaurant inside the Fosshotel, Rejkavik where we were staying. We had a delicious meal--duck, fish, and soup. It was yummy. Definitely the most elegant meal our children have enjoyed! They were critiquing the plating and food as if they were judges on their favorite show--Masterchef Junior. It was cute. Friday was a day where we hit the ground running! We left around 10 to the Blue Lagoon or paradise as we li...

I planned this trip some time ago--back in April. We have pretty much seen the typical European landscapes, visited our fill of castles and taken in the typical European architecture. I'm now focusing on trips and experiences that are a bit off the beaten path or out of the norm. This one was a huge success! We traveled the four hours on Friday evening to Utrecht, Netherlands, where we spent the weekend with friends in a real working windmill. It was amazing! The inside was quaint, with rustic charm and modern conveniences. Downstairs consisted of a living/dining area, small kitchen (fridge, sink, microwave and dishwasher), toilet and entry area. The second floor is where we stayed. It had a bathroom and 2 bedrooms, along with a laundry area. The third floor had one large sleeping space and the top floor was the lookout for the windmill. The landscape around the windmill was breathtaking--open fields where cattle and sheep grazed, canals and blue skies. Sooo pretty. The kids had a...

This girl. She is so much like me. Yet she is so much like Chris. This one is a perfect blend of us both. The best and the worst of each. Claire just wrapped another season of soccer. She has grown and changed so much from 3 years ago when we first entered the world of sports. She is aggressive, fast, and decisive. She knows strategy, she's methodical, not afraid, and loves to score, but is just as eager to pass to a teammate. The girl has some mad skills. Her coach this season was awesome. She actually played at the AF Academy and is a trained coach, qualified to coach any level. Coach Deb actually pulled me aside and asked if Claire was playing club soccer. She noted she has natural talent and was surprised when I shared Claire's deep dark secret. The girl has a love/hate relationship with soccer--and with pretty much anything she is good at but not perfect at. That is it. Claire is her own worst enemy. She would rather not try if something ma...

Being an adult is a tough gig. I've never been great at making big decisions. Sure I make them, but more times than not, the days and months leading up to them are filled with stress, worry and agony. Living life via the military has it's advantages and disadvantages. For me, not knowing where the road may lead was an advantage. All I had to do was hang on for the ride. Sure, Chris and I went back and forth weighing each possible place we'd call home as if we really had a say in where we landed, but truth be told, we went wherever "they" wanted/needed us. Massachusetts, S. Korea and Germany. Now, 9 years later, retired from that life, here we are. Planted temporarily. We know that Germany is not our forever home. Only this time, we don't have a "they" in terms of the government to direct us. To be the grown up. To tell us where to land. Instead, we have little people. Little people who desperately want to land near their Grammy, Papa, cousins and th...

Two of our best vacations were spent at all inclusive resorts in Guam and Thailand. We attempted to recreate them, European style with an extended holiday weekend at the island of Mallorca. We stayed at the Cala Mandia resort about an hour from Mallorca's major city, Palma. It was definitely a resort catered to Germans, Spanish, or Europeans in general, but we made the most of our time and the beautiful weather. Prior to leaving, the weather forecast included 40-60% chance of rain each day with temps in the upper 70's. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. The temperature held steady at 78-80ish the first 3 days with bouts of full sun. We lounged at each pool--kids splash pad, family pool, and water park, rotating among them. Each pool had appeal to each of our children. Thankfully, Gavin was able to access the pools independently with Chris & I with an arms reach. The resort had beach front access as well. It was perfect. Mya discovered sand gets EVERYWHERE, while Gavi...