A Fig in Sweden Portland: August 2013

some places we've visited so far

maui, hawaii
The day we got home, we started saving for our next trip. See my blog entry
antalya, turkey
I miss hearing the call to prayer before sunrise every morning, the sunshine and the small winding roads in the old city. But I don't miss the olives for breakfast. See my blog entry
helsinki
The cruise from Stockholm was the highlight. Breathtaking, really. We found Helsinki to be down-to-earth, friendly and a just-right size. See my blog entry
london
Why on Earth did it take me so long to visit London?! Rivals Paris for best city in Europe. Avoid Oxford Street and Covent Garden, and head to Chelsea and Holborn. See my blog entry
paris
It was my third trip to Paris, but our first while living in Sweden. And, more significantly, our first with a baby in tow. Metro ≠ baby friendly. Centre Pompidou = 10x more fun with a little one. See my blog entry.
bergen and oslo, norway
Think Colorado. Flooded. Oslo is a refreshing little city and the fjords offered beautiful views in all directions. Not love, love. But definitely like, like. See my blog entry.
prague, czech republic
Yes, it has beautiful architecture. But no soul. Skip it and go to Budapest instead.
berlin, germany
We only spent a night here, but I could tell immediately that this was a city I could live in. Hope we can get back there sometime soon. Loved the new architecture, friendly people and the gigantic, wooded park.
tavira, portugal
A great place to relax, see endless fields of daisies, drink sangria and be surrounded by the smell of orange blossoms. See my blog entry.
amsterdam and delft
Amsterdam was one of our favorite European cities and Delft is a little gem you wish you could fit in your pocket and take home. Loved the individual style and easy-going nature of the people. See my blog entry.
budapest
Hurry, it's already been discovered. Wonderful cheap food and an outdoorsy mentality. See my blog entry.
dalarna, sweden
Reminds us of home. Really relaxing and laid back. See my blog entry.
hong kong and tai pei
Super friendly people and so romantic. See my blog entry.
nice
Loved Villefranche and the whole area east of Nice. See my blog entry.
barcelona
Loved the tapas and eating paella on the beach. See my blog entry.

August 26, 2013

sprinting in my footsteps

Little known fact: I ran NCAA Division 1 Track on an athletic scholarship.

And if you saw me run Sophie's first race with her — a kid's fun run that was part of the $5 5K series — you probably would never have guessed that either! I was the one a few steps behind my speedy girl who was getting far too emotional about the whole thing.

Annoying sappiness aside, it was a lot of fun to run as a family (Lewis and Mathis took on the 5K). Maybe next year we'll all do the 5K!*

*My new gig for Nike could help with that game plan.

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August 05, 2013

chicken is hate*. cousins are love.

The fear of traveling cross-country alone with two children could not keep me away from a week of cousin fun (and sister and Doc & Mimi fun). As sad as I was for it to end, the feeling of "I'm so glad we came" was on repeat.

We kayaked, fished with Doc, played 4-person Wii Just Dance, jumped in the waves at Bethany Beach, rode the trolley, had ice cream on the boardwalk, looked for bunnies, saw fireflies, played Frisbee® with JC, enjoyed a spontaneous family fashion show, gorged on DB Fries and crab legs, and just soaked in as much awesome togetherness as we could to last us till next year.

* What Sophie said when we proposed chicken nuggets for dinner.