It's All Greek to Me

In our usual fashion, we booked our summer holiday at the last minute.

Well, that's not exactly true, but the holiday on which we actually went was booked just two weeks before we left.

Here's what happened:

Late last spring, we made reservations at an amazing resort in Turkey.  

We planned on spending a few days in Istabul.  

I planned to buy a really colorful hijab.  

We were all set.

And then there was a terrifying and horrific terrorist attack on the beach of a popular tourist destination.  The victims were unsuspecting civilians and tourists; people like you and I, who were just enjoying their vacation.

I received a phone call from a representative of the resort asking if we still wanted our reservation, and that it was okay if we did not; a travel alert had been placed for Americans in Turkey and we could get our money back.

So that's what we did.
And then we waited until the absolute last possible minute to book again.

Because if nothing else, we are spontaneous.

We set off for Brussels bright and early to catch our flight to Athens.

With only one minor mishap, we arrived in Athens that evening.
And by minor mishap, I mean WE MISSED OUR FLIGHT.  As in we didn't make it on time and the plane left without us.  But never mind that.  It was actually one of those things where we couldn't get mad, but rather, we laughed and made the most of a few hours set back.  Fortunately, there was another flight later that day and instead of sitting around the airport, we walked across the street and got a hotel room for the day.  Finn napped, Shawn worked and Hannah and I read books and watched movies.  (And as an aside, when Hannah returned to school and got an assignment to write about her summer holiday, she wrote that the most exciting thing that happened was that we missed our flight and that we had to stay in a hotel that cost 8 euros.  She makes us sound so classy.)

So, back to Athens.  We found a cat at our hotel.
He was a regular there and I think my kids would've been happy to just play with him all day.

The next morning, we hiked up to the Parthenon.

It was hot and dusty, but my goodness, what an experience.
Visiting places of such grandeur and historical significance, well, it takes my breath away.
I am so grateful to be able to show these things to my kids.

After spending a few days in Athens, we took a taxi and a boat to our resort.

There's no filter or editing on this photo; the water was that blue and clear.

Our home for the next 9 days:

Ya know, if I'm being honest, I was a little hesitant to go to Greece.  I mean, the country is pretty much in shambles and knowing that you could only take 60 euros out of the bank per week, well, I was worried that we were setting ourselves up to get mugged.
Greece really has everything - beaches, food, history, architecture, and the people are friendly and welcoming.  It was here that democracy was created, for crying out loud.  I hope they can sort their political and economic selves out.

I could spend an entire vacation doing nothing but sitting on the beach.  Shawn, however, can do that for just a short time and then he gets bored and needs to find something to do.

So he went sailing.

Aye-aye, Captain.

No matter where I travel in this world, my favorite part is always the translations.

 If there's an opportunity for Finley to be wet or dirty, he'll take it.

On our final day, we rented a boat and took our little crew out to sea.

The man at the rental place told me that I could hold open the hatch while Shawn got the anchor out.  "My wife likes to lift heavy things," Shawn told him, "She can be in charge of the anchor."

The water and the skies were so blue, so perfect.  We anchored the boat on a beach near a tiny little town.  I waded in to shore, flip flops in hand and went into a little shop to get us sandwiches.  The woman working there made conversation with me as best as she could in what little English she spoke.   I pointed to my family waiting for me in the boat and told her how we are American, living in Luxembourg and this was our first time in Greece.  I ordered a coffee and she asked how old our kids were.

"Our daughter is seven and our son is two," I told her.

"You have a two year old boy?  I make the coffee a double."

Ah, there he is.  Vacation Shawn.
Totally relaxed, unshaven and not a care in the world.

We retured to Luxembourg, relaxed and refreshed, having checked another country and European landmark off our bucket list.

Mother’s Day 2015

We overflowed the coffee machine at a rest stop, Finley ate a smashed dandelion in a parking lot and for about six minutes, Shawn and I were in a panic because we thought our car had been stolen.

That’s how the weekend started, and if you know us, it’s a pretty typical way for us to begin a road trip.

Saturday morning, we loaded up the kids and the car and drove to the Netherlands.  I’ve been wanting to go in the spring for as long as we’ve lived here, but each year something has gotten in the way.

We saw the famous cube houses.
And bikes.
Lots and lots of bikes.
Did you know that there are more bikes in the Netherlands than actual people?

Sunday morning we got moving slowly and I sipped coffee as my kids ran around the hotel room, jumped on the bed and watched boats out the window.  It was Mother’s Day and I couldn’t help but think that I love these two with a fierceness I never knew until I became a mom.  

After our leisurely morning, we drove to Keukenhof Gardens, which is in the bollenstreek, or bulb growers region.

The Dutch are serious about their tulips.

And also, clogs.

Motherhood is exhausting, scary, messy and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve left the house with cereal smashed in the bottom of my purse, a 2 year old wearing his t-shirt with one arm through the neck hole (like a toga, because he insisted) and both kids eating candy before 9AM, because this was the only way we were all going to make it to school on time and in one piece.

I hope that my kids won’t remember a childhood with a mom who was frazzled and anxious and they’ll forget all the hurry ups and straighten ups and remember their mom laughed a lot, had patience, taught them well and showed them the world.

A mom who saw the humor in being photo bombed by a goat…

And willingly stood in the enormous, touristy wooden clogs in front of a windmill in Holland just for her kids’ amusement.

I’ve been a mom for a little over seven years, and frankly, I feel like I’m an all-over-the-place-mess. 

I’ve birthed a baby in America and one in a foreign country.
I’ve celebrated healthy deliveries and I’ve grieved a miscarriage. 
I’ve breastfed and bottle fed, worn my babies close to my heart and pushed them in strollers.
I’ve been a stay at home mom and I’ve worked full time and part time.
I’ve judged other moms and have been judged by others.

I’m trying my best everyday to teach my children to be gentle – one with his little hands, and one with her words.  Every night when I fall into bed, I pray Lord, protect them.  And please cover up the mistakes I made with them today.

We stayed in Keukenhof longer than planned and returned home pretty late Sunday night.  All of us were exhausted and Hannah hadn’t finished her homework yet, so I declared that we’d all sleep in and take her to school late the next day.  In the flurry of events the next morning, which included window washers showing up first thing (that I had forgotten about) I asked Hannah if she could pack her own lunch, so that we weren’t too too late.  When we got to school, I peeked in her lunchbox to find nearly a pound of salami, a yogurt cup and two peppermint lifesaver candies. 

Clearly, I don’t have any part of this gig figured out.

But despite all the mess and chaos, they’re mine and I’m theirs.
I couldn’t ask for anything better.

Skiing the Alps

Well, we’re back in Luxembourg, fresh from the slopes of the Alps in beautiful Les Gets, France.
This was our second time there and it was just as beautiful as I remembered.
(You can read about last year’s trip HERE.)

We set off on a Friday as soon as Shawn got home from work, stopped at a hotel for the night and then met up with our friends the next day.

After we got settled in our chalet, we headed out for some sled riding and playing in the snow.

I had been a little concerned about Les Gets, because in the days before we left, they got an enormous amount of snow and were under an avalanche warning of some sort. 

The next morning, we picked up our gear and got ready to ski.  Finley wanted to get on skis so badly, but he is still a bit too young.  Next year, buddy.

These sweet girls are such good friends.  We’re so lucky to know them and their parents.

As most kids do on a ski holiday in Europe, Hannah went to ski school every afternoon.  When we picked her up after the first class, I asked her about her instructor and she told me his name was UNO.  On the second day, when he introduced himself to me, I learned that his name was actually BRUNO. 
Close, I guess.

Here’s some of our group, with the girls acting silly.

I learned that the slope, or piste gradings aren’t the same in the US as in Europe and by the middle of the week, the girls were ready for some red runs, which means that the piste is intermediate/advanced.

I, however, being the slowest and most cautious skier in my family and in our group of friends (there’s always one in the bunch) spent the first two days on the more gentle sloping pistes.
Hannah: Mom, were you skiing on the greens today?
Me: Yea, but just for a little while. 
Hannah: Wasn’t that embarrassing?
Maybe a little bit.

On the third day, I got in a bit over my head, on some pistes that were a bit too much for me and I fell.  A lot.  And then I had myself a little pity party and I may have said something to Shawn like I’m horrible at skiing, my French is awful and I shouldn’t have come on this vacation.  

Going on a ski holiday in France is a great way to remind yourself of just how bad you are a skiing and French.
The next morning, I was telling my friends about my meltdown and they smiled, nodded and one of them said, “Yes, of course.  That was just your ski tantrum.  Everyone has one at some point during a ski holiday.”
A ski tantrum?  I didn’t know this was a thing, but it gave me just what I needed to pull myself up by my boot straps (literally) and carry on.

Shawn never had a ski tantrum, but he did take a day off to rest his knees because he’s not exactly supposed to be skiing.  You see, he’s had SIX knee surgeries so let’s not tell his doctor about this trip, ok?

Remember when I said that although I may not be a good skier, I am good at après-ski?  Well, here I am, doing what I do best on the slopes.  Everyday, we relaxed on deck chairs in the snow, eating, snacking and enjoying the sun, blue sky and mountain air while the kids played. 

One morning, Hannah and I snuck off by ourselves for a hot chocolate.  We don’t get a lot of time for just the two of us, so this was long overdue.  I told her we could talk about anything she wanted.
”Mom, when you were my age, did you make excuses?”
”Oh, probably.  Why?”
”What kind of excuses did you make?”
(I wasn’t sure how to answer that one.)

Ready to head outside.

They spent nearly every evening snuggled under a blanket in pajamas.

Here’s one of our whole group, at one of the restaurants in Les Gets.

After a fantastic week, we headed out early on Saturday morning to return to Luxembourg.  We packed the car the night before and if I’m being honest, were a bit smug about making it down the mountain with no traffic.

And then we ran into this:

We sat in this mess for a nearly FIVE HOURS.  That’s 300 minutes.  With two kids in the backseat. 
Luckily, we had water and snacks in the car and Finley fell asleep for a while.  Hannah watched a few movies on the ipad and I got to crack open a book I started but hadn’t made much progress in.  Lots of people got out of their cars and kids were building snowmen along the side of the road.  No one was moving anywhere.

Me: I’d like to know who’s in charge here.
Shawn: This is France.  No one’s in charge.

In France’s defense, however, a man wearing a fluorescent vest and a backpack did come through and ask if we were okay.

And then Shawn said, “Ya know what could make this situation worse?  If we had a cat in our car.”

Oh, you mean like this car next to us?

We made it home around midnight, which was 16 hours after we set off.
But, what a time we had!
We skied, we relaxed, we caught up with friends.
We had raclette, tartiflette, and panaché.
We talked about everything from the future of the Euro to cats to CNN.

We made it home in one piece, with no broken bones.
And no avalanches.