Remembering Europe 2004

Ten years ago this week my hubby (then boyfriend) and I spent 10 days in Europe. We started in Canterbury, England then went to Paris, then to London and finished in Killarney, Ireland. We'd only been dating for a couple of months. Jeff was going to Canterbury for business and was planning on staying for a week to see other European cities. He invited me to go with him. Who was I to say no to Paris!

It was fun and crazy with ups and downs hopping from country to country. We actually missed our flight home due to fog in Ireland. When we go again (hopefully) I'd like to stick to one country. It was an amazing trip. We both still think about it. Here are some of my favorite photos from our first vacation together. These were taken on my good old film camera by the way. You remember film, right?

Canterbury

Paris

 

 

 

 

 

 

(How young and cute are we!)

London

 

 

(Yep. Typical tourist!)

Killarney, Ireland and County Kerry

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this little walk down memory lane. I've been very fortunate to do a bit of traveling in my life. When I was a teenager my family went to Australia! My mom has those pictures so I can't share those. I'm not a huge fan of traveling now since it's become such a hassle. We should always be exploring though. There's so much to see in this world and in my own state of North Carolina. Maybe this walk down memory lane will spark some local traveling with the family. Next week I'll share some snippets from our Disney trip. That was an adventure! One hotel room and a 5 & 6 year old. I'm still recovering.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

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Things Are Changing

The day I've been waiting for has finally arrived. My children are both in school!

It's very exciting for them, especially Caitlyn. She loved preschool and being with friends but only got to go two days a week. Now she is going to have five full days learning and playing with friends.

I thought I would mostly feel over the moon about it all as I finally have time (lots & lots of time) to myself. I'm feeling a little sad though too. I was emptying my car of toys for the park's sandbox that I don't need stored in there anymore. I won't be spending my days trying to find things to entertain the kids. I started to remember when they were toddlers and we'd go out exploring and playing.

 

 

My routine is going to be totally different now and they are going to do the majority of their exploring through school. It's wonderful but I know I'm going to miss them. We are lucky here in North Carolina as they offer year round school. My kids will be in school 45 days then off for an average of three weeks. We will be able to have fun and explore each season instead of having to cram in "doing" lots of stuff over the summer.

I know I need time for me. It's been very challenging to do the things I want to do when I have two kids underfoot at home. I admit I didn't always want to go out every day and find things for them to do. I'm going to value our time together more with getting the break. I have also loved seeing Evan grow from attending school. He's reading books to me now! It will be amazing seeing the same growth with Caitlyn.

Here's to changes and growing up. Even though it's a little hard, it's a wonderful gift!

 

 

I love these guys!

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

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A Day of Play

It snowed a few inches here! A rare occasion in the Raleigh area of North Carolina. The schools were closed and the kids played and played and played some more! It's good to take a day off and see some smiling faces. I remember loving snow when I was a kid. It's fun reliving it through my children.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

No matter what holiday you celebrate I hope you have a wonderful time with your family and loved ones!

a Nice Surprise

I'm hanging out at jury duty right now so, I thought I'd blog. Yesterday the whole family drove into the city (Raleigh, NC) so I could see where I needed to be today. On the spur of the moment we decided to see if any museums were open. We lucked out and went to The Museum of Natural Sciences. The kids had a blast!

 

 

Changes Are Coming!

Starting Monday, August 5th, this little guy

Starts Kindergarten!

What the heck happened? Where did those 5 1/2 years go? Okay, the years didn't actually pass by that quick. My daughter is 4 and when you have two kids that close in age time can drag some days. I'm very excited for him. His school is new (built in 2010) so it has all the new gadgets. He is doing a year round schedule which is 45 days in and about 3 weeks out. I actually like this because I won't have to figure out what to do with the kids for two months of summer and the kids won't forget everything they've learned. Our family will also be able to take vacations when some people are still stuck in school.

So, my little man will be on the bus at 8:30am and home at 4:30pm! What a long day! Back when I went to Kindergarten, it was a half day of school. My daughter will still be home with me some days. Nana will have her a day or two and she goes to half day preschool twice a week. I'll have a lot more time to pursue my art. I have to rethink my schedule.

My little boy is turning into a little man! Like I said, changes are coming!