Catching up....

After 3 weeks of many fun things, I am playing catch-up today. My blog is on the list, but I'm thinking that this being the last day of the boys' spring break, my mountains of laundry, and numerous "administrative" to-dos, the real update won't be happening for another day or two. In the meantime, here's a sneak peak at what has been going on:

Amsterdam:






Spring Break randomness:

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(ps - this is the tallest climbing structure I have ever seen. I'm pretty sure my I was having heart palpitations the whole time he was on top)

Ryan's Birthday!!
(sorry, this picture was just too funny....)



London:





More to come. Stay tuned....

Portugal

As it is with most of the "big" trips we take, I can't possibly explain all of the details in a concise post that is actually interesting to read. Overall, the trip was awesome. There were things we would do again (Sintra, beaches...) and things we will suggest our friends never do (Lisbon public transportation, Best Western in Faro, Mercado da Ribera…). We spent most of our nights in Lisbon in a great apartment that was well worth it's cheap price tag, but took the opportunity to day-trip out to the other areas around Lisbon. Here’s the run-down:

We waited for our plane...


Picked up our luggage...


Attended church....


Danced...


Played in the middle of the city...






Went to the bathroom appropriately...


Found treasure....


Saw new places...




Soaked in the sun....














Climbed castles...












Visited a palace...






and most of all, we enjoyed each other....









Lastly, if he hasn't already heard it enough, a huge thank you to the man who made our trip possible, the trip coordinator and translator...

The inaugural trip

This last weekend marked our removal from our den of winter travel hibernation, and I couldn't be more happy about it. For our inaugural trip, Ryan and I got a babysitter and drove up to the Netherlands to attend the temple. The temple itself is so beautiful and our attendance there was a wonderful reminder of all that I hold dear.

We will round out this month with a week in Portugal (starting Saturday!!!!), and a me-and-Ryan-only weekend in Amsterdam. We have planned this spring and summer to be our most densely packed with travel in our 2-year stint here, so stay tuned for more adventures and less boredom now that spring has sprung!

Some thoughts

I've been doing quite a bit of thinking lately. You know, the keep-you-up-at-night, keep-your-mind-going-all-day kind of thinking. My thoughts have been all over the spectrum, but mostly centered around life, MY LIFE, and what I want out of my life.

I spent my weekend playing like a child with them:

I spent most of my day today cleaning and cooking like this:

and through it all I feel like I've gained some clarity and direction into my desire to have a purpose-driven life.

Here are some key ingredients I am adding (or enhancing their saturation) into my life:

practice Meditation

travel, Travel, travel

Love more freely

recognize and Appreciate the little things

adopt Vegetarianism

read Scriptures thoroughly

speak more French

Me + key ingredients = New & Improved

Or so I hope..... :)