Family Time

Our big sis Jeannette and the cuttest little girl ever, Natalie

Ok, I know it has been an unusually long time since either Laura or I post. I think there are tumble weeds rolling around the blog by this point. Well, the last month has been a relaxing yet busy time. Laura and I have been spending it together at home with the rest of the family, even our little niece Natalie was there! It was a quick pit stop at home for a rest and mostly to appease our parents. They refused to take no for an answer. Granted I was in New Zealand at the time and it took me 4 days and 7 flights to get back home. It was well worth it…even if my legs swelled up like giant sausages from sitting on a plane for four days straight! I can’t believe it has been a year already since we set out! We have been so many places yet there are still so many we want to see. Who knows when are travels will end….hopefully never. (Not what my parents want to hear…sorry Mom and Dad)

Laura and our two puppies, Hank and Dolly
(Hank is the giant puppy)

How cute is that!?  How can you stay mad at her for peeing on the carpet

Hank lounging in the pool

Me consoling Dolly after her first swim

Our month at home was great. Our other sister Jeannette came with our niece Natalie so it really was the whole family together again. Most of our time was spent babysitting Natalie and my parent’s new puppy. When we weren’t babysitting and cleaning up dog pee, we were cooking for the family, riding our bikes, and doing yoga. It was fun to try out some of the new recipes we learned throughout our travels. I am really starting to get the Indian cooking down.

Just woke up

Laura and Natalie lighting a prayer candle in Notre Dame

We also got to catch up with some good friends. One of my best friends came all the way from Miami to see me, which meant a lot. I also went up to Chicago to visit another one of my best friends. She is the best when it comes to showing me the best places to shop and eat in the city. Hopefully it won’t be another year before I get to see them and the rest of my friends again. Laura was even busier visiting her friends. She had two weddings to attend and lots of her best friends in town to spend time with. One of the weddings was down near the coast so she road tripped down and got to see another of her best friends in the process. Between the babysitting, cooking, yoga, traveling, visiting with friends, and trying to sort through our belongings to see what we would take with us this time around, we both felt like we were always doing something. Still it seemed like we accomplished nothing!

The Happy Couple

Enjoying the wine and the company at our table during the wedding
It's funny, a year into traveling and Laura and I have switched hair styles. 
Now I have long hair and hers is short.

Now I am sitting in a hotel room next to Laura in the northern French city of St. Malo. I am always surprised at the circumstances of my life. One day New Zealand milking goats, the next wearing an evening dress attending a fancy wedding on a boat while cruising along the Seine river in Paris. It’s a charmed life we lead. Well, that is just a quick update for now. We will be traveling with our family in France for the next few days. We will fill you in with more detail soon…I promise. It was great coming back home for a while and catching up with everyone. It was a bit surreal though when people would talk to us about something we had done saying they read about it on the blog… I guess people actually do read this thing …

Paris

Eiffel Tower from a distance

Notre Dame

Notre Dame

Notre Dame

Modern city in a historic setting

Christina