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orner of the backyard to unpack painfully but necessarily slow to eat popcorn for dinner and then to collapse unapologeticly each evening just slightly after the sun sets for me now is not the time for new friendships that time will come now is more about meeting this new home finding its quirks and surprises figuring out where the best afternoon light comes through the windows is more my speed these days once in a while probably too often the rush to get things done and figured out and checked off takes over our home it feels worthwhile for a bit like going back to supertarget again is some sort of mission and life purpose it is not i tell that voice in my head and get busy finding the best way to snuggle with the littles on our newly positioned sofa and read our new library books we re still doing things like dr check ups haircuts school visits though falling off the grid sounds super appealing reality doesn t allow it for us completely i like this new rhythm it feels protective and comforting and necessary i am already missing our london adventure but our pace there was unsustainable we travelled in some capacity every single month 90 of the time we travelled with the kids and i d say about 70 of the time it was a flight we re tired in a great way in a we just climbed that freaking mountain every blessed day we could walk kind of way we ll take on this new chapter with fantastic zeal after a little rest 1 comment from uncategorized and we re back february 23 2013 i am completely overstimulated by america and i love it we ve been back in the us for a few days jet lag was at it s worst today pretty sure at dinner i said to sam i am on the edge of being the worst mom in the world yep the adrenaline of day 1 wore off and we are trudging along now though lots of things are helping for example i forgot just how much i love ice and ice makers oh and then there is giant diet cokes with free refills taco trucks margaritas a car god bless the usa indeed we are in an apartment right now but we ve been able to visit our new house which the boys love we signed up for a preschool met our neighbor found we have a meyer lemon tree in the backyard dreamy our apartment isn t too shabby either i can t help but think back onto our corporate housing upon arrival in london oh the vast differences are many we are diving head first into the comforts of home although it s a brand new unfamiliar home there are certainly some very predictable comforts i m missing my family and friends both in the uk and us i m sure that will sink in deeper in the coming weeks but for now there is much to do like google where the closest target and homegoods stores are oh and buy two cars yikes houston has been a soft place to land so far a little more sleep and we ll be ready for the rodeo literally there s a parade that kicks off the rodeo in houston tomorrow yeehaw 2 comments from uncategorized going away february 10 2013 these are crazy times actually they are not nearly as insane as 2 years ago at this time but it s crazy nonetheless this morning a guy came and bought our hoover ahem sorry our vacuum this afternoon 90 of everything that plugs in will go to a couple who just moved to england from the states there s a stack of plastic bins in the front window and little piles of stuff accumulating everywhere as we sort and stack our beloved home on rosaville road sigh friday night we had a big ole going away shindig at our local pub this is my wonderful friend bella hard to believe we only met about a year ago lifers for sure xoxo we had a little game of english v american terms can you guess them all sally amy jenna angela below below robert jules alex charlotte all of whom we met through coltan s nursery school below joe sam s awesome coworker below our amazing neighbors we have been so blessed by these couples who live literally next door and across the street from us dave sue justin natalie catherine larry not pictured chris b who stopped in even with a 2 week old baby below rob chris friends from church and hilarious below sally my very first friend in fulham who opened the door to many more friends because she is just that awesome love love love this lady oh the fun there is nothing like gathering people from each corner of your life and saying goodbye surprisingly no tears i think the floodgates will open on the ride to heathrow it s gonna be ugly but back to the party i love these people all of them they are what makes this farewell so terribly sad oh and my super talented friends rob and mark graciously said yes to my plea for a little live music at the party and i ticked off a bucket list item because i too grabbed the mic for a couple songs thank you kind supportive friends sing at a pub in london check it was a fantastic night filled with laughs and hugs and lots of joy just a few more days to go in this chapter here s to keeping it happy 3 comments from uncategorized rewind mallorca january 21 2013 in june yes i m rewinding that far sam and i were able to have a long weekend getaway thanks to sam s parents who kept the kids happy and healthy in london we took the quick flight to mallorca for 3 days in paradise mallorca has a fair bit of spring break goes wild on the beaches near the airport we were desperate for some sunshine though and needed to go somewhere relatively close thanks to tripadvisor we discovered an area of the island that was absolutely stunning peaceful and sans techno music and tribal bicep tattoos welcome to deia deià is a small coastal village in the serra de tramuntana which forms the northern ridge of the spanish island of mallorca it is known for its literary and musical residents its idyllic landscape orange and olive groves on steep cliffs overlooking the mediterranean served as a draw for german english and american expatriates after the first world war wikipedia this little clifftop pocket of the world is paradise life is slow and steamy the beaches are rocky and hidden requiring long gorgeous hikes and climbs down drift wood ladders to reach the shore spanish beaches are not bashful in the background of the last picture you can see two people caked in mud we were confused by this the first day but soon realized there was a large hole filled with clay dug out of the side of the cliff locals would cake themselves all of themselves in the purifying clay let it dry while sunbathing and then rinse it off in the extra salty detoxifying mediterranean sea it took only a few hours before sam and i gave it a try while we were at the clay well looking i m sure particularly pasty white and american a local man came up to show us where the best clay was he spoke only catalan and was completely nude hahahaha it still cracks me up he was really nice i think i kind of just wandered away while he spoke to sam ah spain we did a fair bit of unexpected hiking a walk to the locals ended up being a nerve racking hike along the cliffs on slippery paths in sandals i was terrified i had no idea i had such a fear of falling sam would run ahead like a billy goat then come back to reassure me it was safe while i talked my feet into taking the next step oh it was beautiful though and i d happily do it again in better shoes what a perfect weekend we dined on tapas and had that on going debate of vacationers pool or beach my kind of getaway for sure and with this guy doesn t get much better 1 comment from uncategorized ireland january 20 2013 we ve been in london for nearly 2 years long enough for me to say nearly instead of almost 2 years and after all this time and all these travels we had barely scratched the surface of what the uk has to offer prior to a few weeks ago i had spent one weekend in dublin ireland and sam had spent one weekend in st andrews scotland it looked like we were going to head back to the us without much more than that ah but then rj and lacy flew over for a visit and we all decided ireland was calling thanks to cheap flights again all 6 of us took an amazing trip to cork and ventured into sw ireland one of the most beautiful places we ve seen despite a fair bit of rain we were absolutely taken by the beauty of this country and who better to frequent a local irish pub with than these two that picture was taken at the top of our drive through healy pass one of those places you gasp and marvel at wondering how in the the world we don t just live in a tiny abandoned church and wonder these roads every day our first stop straight from the airport was to a little castle where we heard a stone was in need some kissing being off season we had the huge advantage of no lines or waits at the blarney castle this really helped in making this one of our favorite stops the grounds were gorgeous and we definitely started out with a big challenge hiking up to the top of the castle hundreds of stairs two little ones and at least 2 dudes with a fear of heights but we all kissed the stone legend has it we ll now have the gift of gab not sure i needed help there was also a pretty awesome cave at the castle i loved it maybe i have a future in spelunking we spent the afternoon of our first day hiking in the killarney national park a stunning place that draws you to walk for miles which we did the payoff was a breathtaking waterfall and sunset views that pictures don t do justice on the hike back to the car after seeing the waterfall lacy rj the boys and i were trekking away sam had run ahead to move the car a bit closer and save us about a mile we were spent lacy and i were saying how amazing it would be if one of the horse and carriages we d seen earlier would come by to save our aching feet no sooner had the words been spoken than i saw a carriage ahead and it was sam he had come to our rescue on a horse and carriage the rest of our time was spent driving around the beautiful countryside and peninsulas that make up sw ireland here again is the healy pass on a scenic drive called the ring of beara sam dared rj to stick his head in a waterfall and it took about half a second for rj to go for it sam followed suit on leo s prompt your turn daddy it was awesome sweet lacy took the back seat with coltan in our little car she was amazing with him and such a trouper on those windy roads a highlight of the trip was the dingle peninsula i m left wanted to see more of this gorgeous place it is home to inch beach where little miss sunshine peaked through the clouds just in time it is home to the western most point of europe as sam and i stood looking at this point with rain pelting us in the face beside some prehistoric stone beehive huts nonetheless we were overcome with gratitude we have gone as far east as thessaloniki greece and as far west as dingle ireland pretty awesome to finish off an unforgettable trip we stopped at the jameson distillery just outside cork in midleton and after a soggy chilly few days and a tour through a pretty cool distillery i now get the whole whisky thing who knew this all was ohsomuch more fun because of lacy and rj the boys adore them and i think they are pretty swell too i m so grateful to have had this time with them both here in london and in ireland here are a few fun pics from our time with them in london of to the fulham game round 1 of a million in the what s that game followed by fabulous new year s eve festivities 4 comments from uncategorized twas two days before christmas december 23 2012 sam is at the store with coltan getting the last of our supplies for christmas dinner he mostly needed coltan as an excuse to bring the stroller so he could load it up and not have to turn his fingers purple carrying bags home it s a ten minute walk to the big grocery store not far at all but you d be shocked how heavy a gallon of milk and orange juice can feel i m ready for a car again anyway yesterday we spent the entire day in pajamas we ve all been under the weather in one way or another so it was a good idea surprising though what a discipline it is to rest at about 3pm sam and i were convincing each other we needed to go out we settled on asking coltan where he d like to go for dinner anywhere he wanted he responded here and that was that today we needed a change of scenery we headed to the london aquarium which is across the river from parliament and just underneath the london eye i never get tired of this part of london it s remarkable and i m such a sucker for a city on a river i love how the wind whips around you while you walk along a city river and somehow gives a sense of breath and space in the middle of chaos though a little pricey shocker the london aquarium was a big hit with my boys it s a great stop on a wintery day because you can warm up a bit let the kids clamber and climb to see sharks and rays then exit and promptly be right in the middle of it all again post fish we took a walk down the riverside to the german christmas markets currently set up i expected the mulled wine gingerbread and hot cocoa but what to my wondering eyes did appear a mexican food truck woohoo merry christmas to me i miss mexican food a little too much if you find yourself in london and need a fix can i just say wahaca near waterloo bridge will be your amigo yummmmmmmmm there s also lupita at embankment but you have to sit down i m more of a carry my burrito in my purse kind of girl we re gearing up for christmas we ll be just the 4 of us this year a little lonely i must say i found myself feeling pretty homesick yesterday i ve come to realize home and family isn t perfect holidays are always a bit of a mess right but it doesn t matter i just want to be stuck in it all it feels right that way but this year sam and i will cook and bake and conjure up fun and magic and laughter inducing experiences for the boys and for ourselves i ll be hoping for a few flurries and making those christmas cookies mom always makes doing my best to soak up this very special time together in our lovely little london home leave a comment from uncategorized the last winter november 28 2012 it s cold today sometimes i find it hard to believe that i grew up with the snowy long winters of midwest usa i am a wimp when it comes to cold it turns me grumpy i never want to leave the house i justify bumping the heat up with silent pleas that i am psychologically healthier if my feet are warm this is true with the cold comes things like excess mom guilt for too much tv comfort food i e hot chocolate and cookies and lazy days in our pjs till noon often oh but winter also brings thanksgiving sam s birthday the twinkle and glow of christmas lights the little feet that race to turn them on each morning and spontaneous serenades of christmas carols to anyone who will listen there is beauty in everything we hosted thanksgiving in london again this year we invited dear friends from many corners of our life here i wish we could have squeezed in more we sat on borrowed chairs and ate from borrowed plates the very nature of our half settled life here makes us lean i...