Family Vacation | Arizona 2015

We had such a wonderful vacation last week with my family here in Arizona. My brother, Mike, flew in to town so it was an extra special reunion. He hadn't seen Emma since she was 6 weeks old last Thanksgiving! We had a sweet visit up in the mountains for a few days and then finished the week in the red rocks of Sedona. We enjoyed a few hikes, some delicious meals, early morning walks, a little window shopping and lots of reading and rest. I was thankful to have a few extra eyes on my little babe so that I could sneak away for a few naps - delightful! I'm trying to get better about taking photos and using my camera well, so this vacation was a good excuse to practice. And luckily I had some pretty fabulous subjects and scenery to capture! All in all it was so good to be together, but as usual it feels pretty good to get settled back at home too.

Europe 2013: Germany

I'm determined to get up the rest of our Europe trip pictures before 2014! First up were the photos from Austria, and now from our trip through southern Germany.

After spending a couple days in Vienna and Salzburg, we began our road trip through Germany. This was an especially meaningful part for Paul and I since we got to visit the towns where our family was from. The first night we stayed in Heilbronn, which is where my Oma was born. We visited her neighborhood of Böckingen and the church where she was baptized. It was so sweet! On our return drive we stayed in the beautiful city of Heidelberg which is where Paul's ancestors originated from. We even got to stay at the "Schmitt Hotel!" Although as far as we know there's no connection. On our last afternoon, we took a tour at the concentration camp memorial site in Dachau. It was a very sobering and well taught tour that we will always remember. Overall Germany was beautiful and we hope we can spend more time there someday!

Europe 2013: Austria

Our trip started out in beautiful Vienna where we were warmly welcomed by our friends Pia and Johannes. It was such fun to see them again and we reconnected and took off our friendships just as they were last summer. On the third day, we took a drive to Salzburg which may have been my very favorite place of the whole trip. Our friends were gracious tour guides and we truly loved their gorgeous country!

Overall my impression of Austria was charming, historical, snow cap mountains, crystal blue lakes, delicious bakeries, and the very best schnitzel! Next up: Germany!

While beating the heat this last week at my parents:
I enjoyed the luxury of Mom doing the cooking and Dad doing the dishes!
We went for hikes and walks and boat rides on the lake.
I painted my nails a bright cheerful red.
Paul and I checked out books from the library and made plans for our backyard.
We watched the sunset over the hills from the front porch.
I had a blended chai from my favorite coffee spot. It was too sweet for me.
Paul practiced swimming laps in the pool.
I read chapter 2 in the Bonhoeffer book with my feet in the water.
Paul said I was reading "college style" because I was listening to music in my headphones while I read.
We talked to Mike about his new apartment and upcoming move to Denver.
I got six inches of hair cut off! My first haircut in 15 months
We had lunch at Oma's and I got cherry pie – the perfect summertime dessert.
Paul got a high score in Mom's Bejeweled Blitz.
I bought lumber at Home Depot.
We took Mom and Dad out to Rosa's, clinked our glasses and said "Cheers!" to our anniversaries this month.
I felt like such an adult taking my parents out to dinner! Paul signed the bill.
We got to visit with Aunt Heidi and sit on the porch at sunset with blankets on our laps.
We did an enormous amount of firewise brush cutting in Mom and Dad's yard.
Everyone said what a hard worker Paul is (I wholeheartedly agreed!).
I heard Mom say "mmm!' from the other room when she tasted my lemon bars.
We slept with the window open and a quilt on the bed.

On Lynx Lake

One of our new favorite activities when we visit Mom and Dad is to kayak! We got to go out one evening this week and had such a blast. The sun was warm, the air was cool and the water was smooth as glass. We played kayak catch, had a race across the lake (Paul and I won!) and explored all the coves. It was exactly the type of evening I picture as the perfect summer night.

I've been feeling so thankful for this life that we live.

Making Plans

We've had so much fun this week Skyping with Pia and Johannes as we nail down some of the details for our upcoming trip to Europe. The thing about traveling overseas, is that we know this isn't something we'll get to do very often, so it can be tempting to try and cram in as many places as possible. But the reality is, we won't be able to see everything we want, so we just have to pick and choose what makes sense! So, after much discussion, the four of us decided that the best use of our time and resources will be to take a road trip! Woo hoo! After spending some time in Vienna, we'll head through Salzburg to Germany and pass through the towns where Oma was born and where Paul's family is from. So special! Then we'll head up over to France and spend a few days in Paris. After that we'll start heading back through Zurich and perhaps dip down to spend some time in Milan depending on how we're feeling and our timing. We'll round out our days back in Vienna and perhaps take a day trip to Budapest or Prague. Is this a dream?

San Diego Sun and Fun

We took advantage of the long weekend and headed for the coast! Neither of us had been to San Diego before so we were excited for a shared new experience. My favorite parts of the trip were:

a day at the zoo (I'm not usually a "zoo person" but this one was amazing!)
the ocean, sand, waves...so good.
eating gelato
Coronado Island and this hotel. we weren't guests, but the grounds were open to the public so it was fun to pretend!
being in the sun all day and never once feeling hot.
trying fish tacos. honestly I didn't love them as much as I'd hoped, but I liked trying something new-to-me.
getting a sun tan and a nose burn.
watching TV in bed – a special treat!

And next time we're in town I hope to:

rent bikes – maybe even a bicycle-built-for-two!
go to SeaWorld.
try fish tacos again.
stay closer to the beach – less city, more sand.
see the flower fields.
eat more ice-cream.
wear a little more sunscreen.
dig through some antique shops (although I may have to do this activity solo which is okay by me)

I'll be the first to admit that baby fever is in full swing in my heart. But it was so nice to be just the two of us and have the freedom and flexibility to head out for the weekend. I'm reminding myself to enjoy these days of just me and Paul. We are still learning and growing and getting to know each other and Lord willing we'll have many years with little ones ahead. But for now these are sweet and precious days together.

In other news, I've got some fun projects in the kitchen going on right now as I type, so I'm excited to see the outcome of those!