mykonos, greece

We woke up the next morning to the beautiful white washed buildings of Mykonos, Greece.  

There is something so romantic about waking up in a new exotic city just waiting to be explored with someone you love every morning.  Mykonos is built right along the coast.  There are buildings on one side of the road and ocean on the other.

We walked around this gorgeous little town, snaking through little alleyways full of shops displaying handmade goods and passing by countless outdoor cafes.  

I loved the splashes of blue that can be found laced through all the white.  It reminded me of my Halle girl and how much she loves all things blue.  She would have been so excited. They even paint their walkways white.  

 We passed by the windmills on our way to the bus station, but didn't have an interest in learning much about them.  

We took the bus to one of Greece's many beaches, platis gialos.  The bus took us right to the shore and we set ourselves up for the afternoon right under one of those umbrellas.  The view from our lounge chairs was gorgeous and it was pretty incredible to sit and do nothing.  I didn't know what to do with time to myself for a few hours.  I honestly laid there and didn't think about anything.  A nice little break for my brain.

I can't tell you how good it was to see this man just relax.  It's definitely been a long time since I have seen him do that.  Perfect weather and a perfect way to spend an afternoon.

We made our way back into town and decided to try our luck at one of the beautiful outdoor restaurants.  We shared a greek dish called a pastitsio that we knew nothing about, but was recommended to us by our waiter.  I have no idea what was in it but the flavors and textures were fresh, creamy, meaty, and unlike anything I have tasted.  It was the beginning of some really wonderful food adventures. Europe does dining right, ambiance is a big part of the experience for me.

 The water was clear, blue, and perfect, as was the sky.  Greece has some lovely beaches.  I was completely in awe of everything, the culture, the landscape, the food, and the language.  It was a feast for the senses!

athens, greece

The number one thing we wanted to make sure we did when we found out Wes had cancer was travel to Europe.  It is something both of us have always wanted to do.  It has always been our "one day we'll do that" goal.  After he got sick we decided to make "someday" into "today" and planned our trip to Europe.  With a lot of help from family taking care of our house and girls we spent a day traveling and arrived in Athens.  The fact that we caught each of our connections even with a Boston weather delay is a miracle.  So many things had to go right for us to make it, and magically it did.

On our way to our Mediterranean cruise we took a taxi through downtown Athens.  The city was crawling with people and apartments on top of apartments.  Millions of people live in this ancient city.  The roads are full of cars and pedestrians making it very tricky to navigate.  It was a bit of a dirty city, but I was completely fascinated by all the shops, restaurants, and people we drove by.

Our driver took us to the top of a rocky hill to see the acropolis of Athens.  

It was breathtaking to stand at the top and look out on all sides at the city of Athens, buildings and apartments as far as you can see.

We loved walking around the Parthenon.  Most of the historical sites we saw were undergoing some kind of restoration. I said this about most places we went, but it was truly breathtaking.  We had a wonderful afternoon exploring and marveling at the ancient architecture.  I couldn't even tell that I had barely slept in 24 hours.

After we left our driver took us to our cruise ship.  It was the perfect beginning to our trip and made me so much more excited than I thought I could be for the next two weeks of traveling.

first day of kindergarten

I was more nervous than Halle was for her first day of kindergarten.  She was super excited to go.

Lily was not so sure about big sister and best friend being gone for the afternoon.  And neither was I. I kept thinking she knows a lot of the stuff she is going to learn and I can teach her what she doesn't.  It would be so easy to keep her home, but then I saw how much she was looking forward to it and I had to let her go.  

 We were pleasantly surprised to find one of her favorite friends wearing a matching dress, in the same class, and sitting right next to each other.  It made an exciting day even better!

Grandma came to see her off.

 And of course I am one of those moms who watches and waits until they are inside the door.  I sure am proud of this wonderful girl.

park city getaway

We love it when our St. George family comes to play in Park City.  We tag along and get to join in their fun.  These girls love to play with their cousins and are always asking if they can sleep over at our house.  They loved playing at the park and swimming in the resort pool

 We especially loved when our daddy was able to come up for one night and spend time with us.  I absolutely love park city in the summer.  It is so quirky and wonderful and the weather is gorgeous. I loved being surrounded by green mountains on my runs.  

 Grandpa especially loved the fire pits at night and the grandkids tagged along and ate his crackerjacks.

One day we drove down to Lagoon and had a blast.  Wes took one of his vacation days to be with us and oh boy does he make me laugh.  

 The first time we put Lily on this ride she turned red in the face and was visibly shaking.  The girl was terrified! I wish we had it on a video.  She was so excited until it started moving.  But by the end of the ride she had warmed up to it and was ready for all rides.

 

 This is our Halle's girls last year riding these little baby rides.  She barely made the height cut off this year.  Her favorite ride was the swinging pirate ship.  She is still super cautious, but is warming up to the more thrilling rides

 One of this boys favorite rides because it had a gun.

Sure love this little family of mine.  It was such a wonderful day.

 And we are so glad these wonderful grandparents let us tag along and took great care of us.  Thank you for a fabulous week.