Our life and stuff

AMSTERDAM

 

Here we go again...

take the Metro - to the Train Station - to Amsterdam Centraal Station

 

[ I must say - I'm pretty proud of myself and my navigating skills. We may have taken the Metro in the wrong direction once or twice and walked a few extra miles this trip, but it's not easy. We are even still friends. Ok, back to our adventures...]

 

 

Just getting right to the point - here is the RED LIGHT DISTRICT

 

 

We were super curious and a bit nervous but we went into town. It was surprising how many people were out. People from all over the world, all ages, families even. Everyone was so nice and friendly. 

We had some drinks and walked around the canals. The food looked delicious and the treats were HUGE. We walked back in the rain to our hotel. A great first night!

 

Today we had booked another BIKE tour. It was raining pretty hard this morning so weren't sure if it would still be on. We arrived at the Mike's Bike Shop and they had slickers for everyone! So exciting - let's ride...

 

 

BELGIUM

 

We boarded another train, this time it was the Thalys.

Destination ---->  Brussels

 

Another beautiful country to explore.

The history and architecture is beyond words. I wanted to take pictures of every building and quaint little cobblestone street. The main market square was overwhelming.

 

 

When we thought of BELGIUM the first two words that came to mind were

BEER and WAFFLES

in that order...

 

 

For lunch we had the most AMAZING Mediterranean meal we have ever had at a little cafe called Santorini

Al was raving to the chef who invited him into the kitchen, it was hysterical. Maybe too many beers before?

 

 

Such an incredible experience.

It's so fun and eye-opening to visit these places. Get out there and travel whenever you have the chance. You won't regret it!  Next stop - AMSTERDAM

 

PARIS

 

. . . On our way to . . .

 

 

We left from the historic and beautiful St. Pancras station and boarded the Eurostar Chunnel. The high-speed train travels at 186mph which includes traveling undersea for 23.5 miles. 

We grabbed lunch in the food cart and were able to FaceTime with the kids on the way. 

 

I have wanted to go to PARIS forever. I could never convince him... island/beach vacations were always his preference. He would always say 'sure for our 20 year we can do that' - you know, back in 2002 when that seemed like an eternity away. 

All I have to say is he held up his end of the bargain. Even though I was thrilled and overjoyed to finally be here IN PARIS, it was more exciting to celebrate 20 years with this man!  He even planned the most romantic evening...

 

 

 

 

 

Our next day in Paris we did the Blue Bike Tour - it was amazing!! We rode all over the city and were able to ride up to so many of the sights. We stopped for a quick lunch in an outdoor market, it was perfect.

 

I knew one of our stops would be a Love Lock Bridge.

I surprised Albert and had a lock engraved for us before we left.

We put it on the bridge together during the tour...

 

 

We finished the day by riding the Metro to Moulin Rouge

& listening to jazz in a cafe

 

 

 

Our last day in Paris... it's so hard to decide where to go. There are so many beautiful and historic places to visit. We decided to begin in the Latin quarter and see the Pantheon. It was drizzling on and off and wonderful.

 

 

We grabbed a picnic and ate lunch in Luxembourg Gardens.

Like straight out of a movie... gorgeous!

 

 

 

We took our time heading back to our hotel

Stopped for more music & drinks

& finished our last rainy day in Paris under the Eiffel Tower

 

LONDON

 

The flight was forever... thankfully we were able to sleep. I woke up and we were landing in an hour and half.

Making our way through customs I spotted Ariana Grande - apparently we were on the same flight. She was a sweetheart and took a pic with me before she was mobbed by fans. 

 

 

We took the Heathrow Express to Paddington station and then walked the mile to our hotel. We freshened up and went our for a bite to eat. We found this amazing pub with live music. It was the perfect arrival to London.

The next morning we rented some bikes out front of our hotel and rode around for an hour. 

 

 

In the afternoon we had a personal cab tour - definitely worth the money!  We saw so much and it was nice to go at our own pace and have someone to answer all of our questions. 

 

As excited as we were to be heading off to Paris, we were sad to leave.

London is so beautiful and lively! We can't wait to return someday - XO

 

EUROPE... here we come

 

• The house is clean
• Suitcases are packed
• Fridge is stocked
• Schedules are posted
• Helpers lined up
• Passport and boarding passes in hand
• Bribery "be-good" gifts are in place
• Scared, Nervous, Excited all at once

 

 

 

We have gone away without the kids before but never like this. 

For our 20-year Anniversary we are going to EUROPE - just the two of us.

I've planned as much as possible and made arrangements for each of them while we are gone.  

It's amazing when you write it all down just how crazy their schedules are - but we do it.

We are blessed to have amazing friends & family to help and care for them.   They will be in good hands.

Needless to say - I will worry.  But I'm way more excited than anything!! 

 

Here we go...

 

( Our iPhone selfies are awful - haha!!  That will need to improve if we want any on this trip. )

 

 

We rush to long-term parking

Then shuttle over to LAX

Wrestle our way through customs

Then we wait...

Next stop - LONDON Baby!

 

Welcome Home

 

Sydney's baby doll has been missing since our summer trip to Mexico.

We initially thought she left her at my Mom's but there was no sign of her there.

After turning her room upside down we gave up...

 

Months later I'm getting the luggage out for our trip.

SURPRISE

Guess who was stowed away in there!?!

 

 

 She greeted Sydney when she got home from school.

* Reunited *

 

Competition Day

 

Today was Sydney's first gymnastics competition. 

 

 

 

 

 

Her team has been practicing their routines for months. 

It was exciting to finally see what this was all about. 

We got there early and the teams were allowed to stretch and warm-up...

 

 

 

It was SO crowded and impossible to have a good seat considering the four events were all in different areas of the gym.

We made it work though, roaming around and zooming in when all else fails.

There were LOTS of girls and all over the place.  They were all assigned to a group that rotated through the competition stations:  Bars - Beam - Vault - Floor  

 

BARS

 

BEAM

 

 

FLOOR

(people kept getting in my way... missed most of it)

 

 

 

VAULT

 (minus the 'vault' in Level 2 - haha)

 

 

 

I think our gym took 2nd place overall, it was hard to tell. 

At this level they are all 'winners'!! 

 

 

So proud of our baby girl!!

   

Disney Days

 

We try to make the most out of the kids minimum day Wednesdays.

Well today, Daddy took the kids to Disneyland - he's the best!

 

They all had an amazing time at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Love these three so much!!

 

 

Double Play

 

 

Today Sydney had an unassisted DOUBLE PLAY...

 

This girl knows her stuff.

It's like she's been raised on the field or something  :)

 

selfie

 

Found this on my phone...

They are so cute - XOXO