Merry Christmas

Hello and Merry Christmas!  We hope that all of you are having a wonderful holiday season!  Our family is adapting to our very first Christmas in Alabama.  We have will have lived here for five months on Christmas Eve, and some days it still doesn’t seem real – but life can be like that!

This year was a complete whirlwind for our family!  We moved out of our house in Colorado in the end of May and became homeless.  Not a good feeling.  Thankfully we have some magnanimous friends who allowed us the use of their home and address while we traveled to Europe for the month of June and stayed with them for the month of July.  Vacation craziness can be found on previous blog posts. This Christmas I am very thankful that we are once again settled.

Michael:  Michael has had an eventful year.  In April he took a job as an assistant professor.  We packed up, sold our house, and made a 1400 mile move to Alabama .  He just finished his first semester and he LOVED it.  He taught four classes, supervised a bunch of practicum students, and served as an advisor to a bunch more.  Next semester should look similar – he’s teaching the same basic classes, though I think one is a master’s level course.  Michael also has the added responsibility of being in our ward bishopric, which keeps him busy and gives him a place to serve. 

Luke:  Luke is about to turn 11 (6^th grade) and is absolutely the happiest I have ever seen him.  He found friends quickly and has integrated himself into his new school.  His teachers seem to enjoy him and he has completely embraced the formal manners of the south.  He picked up the “Yes ma’am” and “Yes sir” concept within a couple days though he does relax it a bit at home.  He often comes home and tells me that he spent time troubleshooting IPads or helping to teach computer programming code to one of the younger grades during study hall – one day he came home and told me he helped the librarian build a Christmas tree out of library books.  This fall he played on a district championship soccer team, attended his first school dance, saw Dicken’s A Christmas Carol at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, and earned his Webelos, Arrow of Light, and Religious Knot in Cub Scouts, and returned to Tae Kwon Do.  This week he celebrated his birthday early by taking his two closest friends to see Star Wars.  He is a lot of fun to have around – when he’s here!

Isa:  Isa just turned 9 and is in 3^rd grade.  She has struggled more with the move than her brother, but she is finding ways to enjoy herself.  This has been Isa’s year to explore what she likes and it turns out she is full of creative joy.  Isa inherited my love of singing, art, crafts, and pretty things and has been keeping herself busy in her free time exploring the artist within.   She played soccer this fall and had lots of fun – her team came in second in their division.  She also had the opportunity to perform in the Children’s Nutcracker with her ballet class – they had four performances at the university and a performance outside in the town square.  She is enjoying school and loves her teachers.  Isa is also working her way through the Harry Potter series right now – she’s on book five.  She is growing up very quickly and we are enjoying watching her develop her identity.

Gabi:  Gabi is seven and is in 2^nd grade.  She loves and detests it here all at the same time.  She goes on and on about how wonderful everything is in her life – she loves her teacher at school, her teacher at church, her friends, having PE every day, having her own room, etc.  But if you then extrapolate and ask her if she likes it here:  Oh, no, absolutely not.   She enjoyed watching her brother and sister’s soccer games this fall (she didn’t want to play) and was thrilled to get back into ballet in November.  She also performed in the Nutcracker.  Gabi has also made huge strides academically this year, jumping about a year’s reading level already.  She’s totally engrossed with the A-Z mystery series and Geronimo Stilton – books that this time last year she would have refused to open.  This year she asked Santa for a book!  That has been so wonderful to watch.  She’s our family comedian and she brings lots of laughter into our lives. 

Debbie:  I have been keeping busy trying to find a place to be useful.  I volunteer at the kids’ school once or twice a week, have gone with each of the girls on an all day field trip (with Isa to De Soto Caverns and with Gabi to the Tennessee Aquarium), and serve as the wolf and bear den leader at church.  I have the house completely unpacked and functional and have been working hard to make it feel like home.  We enjoyed having lots of visitors this year, both before we left Colorado and since we arrived in Alabama, and expect more after Christmas.   I am considering going back to school next fall to work towards my master’s degree, so we will see how that internal debate turns out.  My challenge in the new year will be planning our 2016 vacation, and I am looking forward to that!

Here are my two favorite Christmas videos for this year.  I hope that you enjoy them: 

 A Savior is Born                                                                     
The First Christmas Spirit

It is affirming to me that no matter where we live we always have love and strength from our family and friends.  We appreciate each of you and the bonds that we share.  We hope you have a wonderful Christmas season.

New Jersey - a Canine Perspective (With human commentary)

My family is very confusing.  About two months ago my things began disappearing.  My couch went onto the front lawn.  My favorite chair in the office was moved out. Great mountains of cubes were stacked around the house.  And then one day a big truck appeared outside and all of the cubes and furniture - even my crate - were gone.  They took that big truck away and a few days later we got in the RV to take a trip.  I love going on trips!  It means I get to lie in my bed next to mom in the RV and ride for hours without even having to move.  And I always get extra treats and bones for no apparent reason at all.


Three days after we left our house we arrived in New Jersey to see Grandma Chris and Grandpa Don.  I have been here before - there is lots of room to run.  But then my family did something unacceptable - they left one day with their suitcases and they were gone a VERY LONG TIME.  I did not like that they were gone, but it turns out that I am persuasive at getting Grandpa Don to play with me.  They bought me toys and bones and played with me, multiple times a day!  Unbelievable!  I soon discovered that there are all sorts of wild exciting things to chase here too - at night there are lightening bugs and in the morning there are deer, cats, squirrels, rabbits, butterflies, the list goes on and on.  I love a good deer chase.

Then one night my family walked back in the door.  I had just gotten used to sleeping with Grandpa Don and now I had to figure things out all over again.  But it worked out okay, we all stayed together this time.

Now I find myself concerned again.  Mom and Dad are loading the RV with the suitcases and I have to wonder if we are going away again.  We have never been in one place so long away from home.  I am confused.  And I miss my best dog Daisy.  I don't want to play Frisbee without Daisy.   I will content myself with my new toys.

Here I am, not playing Frisbee while all the rest of them practice throwing.

Here we are playing with a helicopter.  

And I had better see my stuff again soon.  Ahem.   Hint, hint mom.

Mom's commentary:

Sophie turned three this year.  She has traveled to 37 states and will pick up another before the summer is over.

We have been out of a house since May 31.  That is a very long time to be away from "home" where ever that might be.  We are leaving on Monday to make the drive to Alabama in order to close on our new home next week.  I honestly don't know what we would have done if Chris and Don hadn't opened their home to us this summer - we've been here off and on for two and a half weeks, and Sophie has been here for a month and a half.  It has been a wonderful summer, but it is time to get our lives moving again. 

Our temporary New Jersey home.  Thank heavens for friends who love us!

And for play structures in the front yard.

And for quiet times

For exciting times (Greenwich Point, Greenwich, CT)

For Jersey humidity (NOT!)  Can you believe the humidity fog on this lens?

And for Don and Chris who have fed and housed us and kept our dog alive all summer long.

 Without them, this summer would have been miserable.  You guys are angels on earth!

New York

We took a trip up to Saratoga Springs, New York this week to see Michael's Aunt Janet and Uncle Rob.  Janet took us on a walking tour of the lovely city of Saratoga, and then we huddled down at their apartment in Malta to stay out of the rain.  After Uncle Rob got home from work he and Michael went to a motorcycle dealer to get a testosterone dose.  They really liked that.

They had planned a picnic in a nearby state park, but the rain just got more torrential as the day went on, so we had our picnic indoors instead.  The kids loved that!  
And what picnic would be complete without s'mores?  Such fun!

Uncle Rob and Luke

The next morning we went to the state park and filled up our water bottles with fresh spring water. They don't call it Saratoga Springs for nothing!  After a fun driving tour we walked around the garden at Yaddo - an artist retreat in Saratoga.  The owner of the estate built a beautiful garden for his wife in the early 1900s, and now that garden is open to the public.  It was lovely.

We really enjoy the opportunity to see  our family no matter how far we (or they!) are from home!

Aunt Janet and the munchkins on the staircase at Yaddo

The house!

Michael and I drove down to Alabama for a very quick day of details.  Details like actually stepping foot in the house that we are buying, meeting with our mortgage broker, signing the kids up for school - all the important things that we were physically incapable of doing from Europe.  We were thrilled to find that our house is exactly what I wanted - it needs a good scrubbing, some tree and shrub maintenance, and a few other odds and ends, but I love it.  I can't wait to buy it and move in!

I forgot to take a picture of the full front of the house, so I borrowed this from the listing.

Side view of the front porch.  I LOVE this porch.

Close up of the side of the porch. It was on my forever home list.  Its 44 feet long!

View of the neighborhood from the driveway.

Master bedroom

2nd bedroom. 

Landing upstairs

Bedroom 3.  The picture of bedroom 4 is fuzzy, but its the same without the corner bookcase.

Bedroom 5 is on the main floor.  It'll be the guest bedroom - and it has its own bathroom! 

  We are so relieved that things are finally starting to fall into place for our move.  We hope to close within the next two weeks.  The sooner the better!

Ancient Civilizations Tour Statistics

This vacation we had some unprecedented experiences!   And the summer isn't over yet!  But our next adventure is less of a vacation and more of a necessity, so perhaps I won't tally those statistics.
(I mean "Days Homeless" is a very awkward tally!)

2015 "Ancient Civilizations Tour" Vacation Statistics

Days:  25

Number of flights: 6

Number of hours on a ferry:  8

Countries visited: 5 - Norway, Spain, Italy, Vatican City, Greece

Cities visited:  10 - Bergen, Barcelona, Rome, Vatican City, Perissa, Thira, Oia, Chora, Athens, Oslo

Places we drove: Santorini

Places we took the Metro:  Barcelona, Rome, Athens

Places we hiked: Everywhere

Average walking/hiking distance per day: 6 miles

Places we swam:  Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea, Katerina and John's Hotel pool, and Pension Irene

Worst Medical issues:  Gabi's bloody nose in Barcelona and Gabi getting sunsick  in Santorini

Delicious things we ate:  Tapas, Paella, Real Italian food, Potato and Rosemary Pizza, Gelato, Gyros, Moussaka, Rabbit, Goat, Lamb, Chicken Slouvlaki, Swordfish, Baklava, Honey Melon, Apples with honey and cinnamon

Favorite Food:  Gelato

Funniest Kid Quotes:

Luke:(while we were trying to encourage him to enjoy the scenery) But I can't turn my brain off!

Isabel: (After Michael finished driving in Thira) That was amazing!  Terrifying, but amazing!

Gabriela: (After returning from the beach in Barcelona) I saw A LOT of naked people at the beach today.

Favorites:

Michael: Santorini's Perissa Beach, the Vatican, Ancient Roman ruins, Sagrada Familia, the FOOD, Ancient Greek Ruins

Debbie: The Vatican, Sagrada Familia, Ancient Greek and Roman ruins, seeing friends, the breathtaking views in Santorini, swimming in the Aegean Sea,

Floor level of the Colosseum and the rooms underneath.

Luke: The Colosseum, Eating lots of different seafood, Santorini's Perissa Beach, the Parthenon, Font Magica



Isabel:  Naxos' Agios Georgios Beach, Gelato and Pizza in Rome, the Vatican, Font Magica, Museu de la Xocolata, Park Guell

Gabriela: Naxos' Agios Georgios Beach, Font Magica, seeing Ms. Anderson and Ms. P, Museu de la Xocolata, Gelato, the Vatican

Who knew such things could be carved out of Chocolate?

Ancient Greece with friends!

The best days of all are the ones we spend with friends!

Today we woke up early and hurried out the door.  Very unlike us for this vacation. But we had a good reason!  Today we had a date with our friends from Colorado.  The kids were bouncing off the walls, and I am pretty sure they didn't stop talking the entire time.  Christine, Amy, and Michael all worked together at Peabody for a while and we love them. Amy was both Luke and Isa's speech pathologist before she moved to a different school and we've spent lots of time with Christine both at school and out at the barn while the kids ride her horse, Taco.

The most beautiful faces we saw in Greece today!

Side view of the Parthenon

I think we were so accustomed to ruins at this point the kids barely noticed the Parthenon!  Sad, but true!  The scaffolding and the crane took away from the ancient effect, but things have to be maintained.

It is a magnificent building.

After a long hot hike through the

Acropolis, the Theatre of Dionysus, 

the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and an Athens market, 

we grabbed some gelato on our way to lunch.  

Because that is how we do things in our family.

Christine and Amy had a restaurant that they really wanted to go back to, so we trudged around Athens until we found it.  It was delicious, and we were all so full!  I have fallen in love with Greek food.  I must figure out how to cook some of it.

We were so thrilled to have a day with our friends, seeing them made us so happy.  They were our last link to Colorado for the year, and leaving them made my heart feel heavy.

We have had such a wonderful trip.  We have experienced so many different things, seen new places, marvelled over the beauty of the earth and sea, and eaten new and creative dishes.  I am so thankful that we were able to take the kids on this adventure and that life cooperated so that we could do it.

Tomorrow we will head to the airport to fly home via Norway.  We have a very long day ahead of us - Michael figured out that we have 12 hours of flying tomorrow and 3 or 4 of layover time.  When you add in the hours we are there before the flight tomorrow and time we expect to take to get through customs, we by the time we get to JFK we will have been travelling for the better part of a day.