Just a Few Pics…

March 11, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Ok…not much time today, so I´m just sharing a few pictures/stories with you all.

Morocco yesterday was wonderful…and there are a lot more pics than these, so I’ll take some time and post a bunch when we get back in a few days. :)

We’re have a great time…enjoying the sunshine and time to just be together. We’re definitely more-than-a-little excited to see our girl again, but she’s in good hands and having a great time. It will be a fun reunion, though.

Ok, the pics. Enjoy!

First up…here we are. Baby camel = Way. Too. Cute. Must cuddle.

Camel ride! Something I’ve always wanted to do…and even more exciting that it was actually in Africa. Cool.

Making friends in the Tangier marketplace…I actually bought that scarf, which one of you will probably receive as a gift. 😉 Truthfully, of all the markets and hawkers we’ve experienced, those were some of the worst. But this guy was ok, and once we bought a few things from him…well, best friends for life. Or something like that. He was cool.

And…a pic from exploring today. Tobin and I needed to get to the train station to buy our tickets for the trip to the airport on Tuesday morning…we were advised to buy them early. We could have taken a taxi but decided to walk it and save the 13 Euros…about $20. It was a good walk…and we stopped to eat a pastry on some obscure, out-of-the-way park bench. But there’s no picture of the pastry because…well, if you’d taken a bite, you’d know why we didn’t stop to take a pic. 😉 Good thing we shared.

Back tomorrow…hope you’re all having a great day!

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, Tobin, travel

So, Um…

March 10, 2012 by · 1 Comment

Warning: I am not whining here…just being dramatic. You´re used to it.

😉

So, just a small request of my favorite blog readers:

If you ever hear me mention this word again…and I do mean ever…and that word would be FERRY…your response is this:

No, Mel.

NO, Mel.

No, No, NO, MEL!

Two doses of Dramamine later, which were taken far too close to each other, I did survive the ferry rides over the crazy, choppy, boat-rocking, Strait of Gibraltar…but that was it.

I hereby swear that my days of traveling by ferry are O.V.E.R.

Over.

I don´t want to do that to myself again. Or to my husband. OR…to me.

Thankfully, despite the drowsiness and drugged-ness, we did have a good time in the land of crazy, Moroccan, fun.

Here´s a teaser for you…more stories and pics tomorrow. 😉

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, Tobin, travel

Jet Lag JOY

March 9, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Maybe there is a teeny bit of sarcasm in that title…or maybe more than that.

But it´s true…jet lag kicked my butt today.

It´s to be expected when your days and nights get all mixed up…but this time it hit a lot harder than I was expecting.

We slept like rocks our first night here. And last night we went to sleep around 10 pm, planning to get up at 6:00 to catch our first bus at 7:45 to Algeciras, to catch another connecting one to Tarifa, to catch the ferry to Tangier.

It never happened.

I´m not sure exactly what happened…other than the phone rang just after midnight. I´d slept for just long enough for my body to feel like it had gotten enough rest, and that was it.

After (both of us) tossing and turning until 2 a.m. or so, we had a conversation that went something like this:

Mel: Honey, I´m fine if we wait til Saturday to go to Morocco.
Tobin: Huh?
Mel: I cannot go to Morocco tomorrow…I´ll be a wreck.
Tobin: Why are we having this conversation now?
Mel: Because it´s 2 a.m. and we´re both awake. Why not?
Tobin: Should we check into a different trip?

So we both got dressed, went down to the lobby to get on the computer and reserved our spot on a tour for tomorrow.

Yeah, that´s what we did in the middle of the night. :)

Then we went back to our room, fell asleep around 3 a.m. and slept til 9 or so.

It took me two cups of coffee, a hot shower, and three ibuprofin before I was even able to function, but we tried to make the most of our day.

It was cooler, so we took some time and walked through the old part of town, had lunch, walked more, had coffee, walked more. I like exploring and seeing new things so it was a good way to spend the day. :)

I had expected to be in Morocco today, which was a bummer…and the gray clouds didn´t help. But tomorrow we´re going on an organized tour, and as much as neither of us like structure on vacation, with a trip like this, it´s almost better.

At least I hope so…at least all of the travel plans are made FOR us. :)

So tomorrow will be a long day, but we´re both looking forward to it and will, I´m sure, have a lot of pictures and stories to share.

And hopefully the jet lag will be gone by then, too.

:)

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, just life, Tobin, travel, uncategorized

Vacation Pics…and a Few Memories to Go With Them!

March 8, 2012 by · 1 Comment

This is round one. There are two pictures that I can´t post yet, but will get to them before the trip is over. :)

We had a wonderful day, and to dispel any rumors that Marbella is cold…well, it´s not. Apparently it is at night, but today was gorgeous…in the 70´s. We loved exploring and walking everywhere, soaking up a city that most definitely agrees with us!

We started off our day by sleeping in a little and then heading out to find coffee. And then, well, see for yourself. Here are a few pics of the trip so far…more fun to come.

I heart adventures.

This one should just be shared to prove that I can sleep anywhere…except on airplanes. Though I was highly unimpressed with the Paris airport, at least the couches were comfy for sleeping as long as the German tourists sitting behind you don´t scream in your ear. Not that that happened or anything…you know, hypothetically.

Sleeping in Paris

Here´s me taking my first bite…and falling in love…with French bread. Goodness, it´s a very, very good thing sandwiches aren´t made out of this at home because I would eat them every day.

And we had another one today. 😉 Thankfully, Tob and I are mostly following our rule of sharing everything we order. It helps…and then we can decide if things are good enough to try again. Apparently this sandwich was.

Here´s the view from our hotel room. Spectacular.

And possibly my favorite find today… Never in my life have I wanted to work out on vacation. Ever. And yet, today, I saw this from my balcony and decided that it was the perfect workout. Somehow they fused playground equipment with workout equipment and came up with an outdoor gym, on the beach, and I could not resist. I got in an awesome 30 minute workout, and the best part was that since the breeze was blowing I didn´t sweat like crazy. I am already begging Tobin to build me a gym like this in our backyard. 😉 Unfortunately, he didn´t get a picture of the whole thing, but here´s me lookin´cool while I burn calories. Hee hee…I got to work out fifty feet from the Mediterranean Sea. Cool.

And…here´s us…by the Mediterranean. It´s good.

Tomorrow we head to Morocco…if we can miraculously make the slightly complicated travel plans work out…we have to take two buses, one which we can´t book until tomorrow…before we take the ferry, which we haven´t purchased our tickets for yet, either. Prayers are appreciated.

It´s good…we´re having a wonderful time. Missing our girl, yes, but enjoying each other, too.

Have a wonderful day!

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, just life, Tobin, travel

All the Way From Spain…

March 7, 2012 by · 2 Comments

This is gonna be short tonight, but we did arrive safely in Spain. :)

All is well…though I am really hoping that tomorrow is warmer than today…otherwise I´m going to be wearing the same two sweaters over and over and over. To be fair, the sun was almost down by the time we arrived at our hotel. Here´s hopin´for some WARM sunshine!

Neither of us has had much sleep…I think we each managed about two hours, Tobin on our flight from Paris to Malaga and me on a couch in the Paris airport. (Tobin took a picture…I´m not sure it will ever make it to the blog, though!) I. Was. OUT.

We´re looking forward to the adventures the next few days will hold. Tomorrow is exploring, a trip to the market, and maybe some walking on the beach if it´s not too frigid.

I need to get a little tan! Friday we head (hopefully!) to Morocco…we´re still figuring out transportation deals.

Almost time to crash…g´nite! :)

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, Tobin, travel

Little Blessings (Pt. 26)

March 6, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

:) Um…vacation time?! YaHOO!!!!!!!!!

:) Amazing friends who love our daughter and are willing to take her for us while we’re gone.

:) Flu shots that work.

:) Sunshine and sweater weather.

:) Unconditional doggy-love.

:) My sweet daughter and memorable moments involving door-closing, couch-jumping, and plunger-stealing. I so love her.

:) Surfing! I. Can’t. Wait.

:) A quick morning coffee and chat with my dear friend.

:) Free wi-fi so I can still (somewhat) update the blog while we’re gone.

:) Adventures with my best friend.

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, blessings, friends, just life, Maelie, Tobin, travel

The Caffeine is Flowing…

March 5, 2012 by · 4 Comments

It’s Monday morning, and my humongo mug is full of caffeinated brew.

So. Good.

I am packed…as packed as I can be until tomorrow when I throw the last few bits into my suitcase, zip it up…and that’s that. Maelie is packed, too…though I am sure we’ve forgotten a thing or two. It’ll be ok, though.

I clearly have learned a few things from the multiple trips for which I have packed in five minutes.

Paperwork is done for the girl. While we don’t want to think of anything happening (to her OR us) while we’re gone, we have to be prepared. Just in case. Ugh…kinda makes my stomach twist. Thankfully, we have been blessed, over-and-above-times-a-million, with amazing friends who love our daughter and have our complete trust.

She’s gonna have a good time. :)

And so are we.

So I haven’t really talked about the trip much ’cause I didn’t want to make you all jealous ’cause I haven’t taken much time to actually think about it.

We leave O’Hare tomorrow afternoon and fly into Malaga, Spain, where we’ll take the bus to Marbella, a coastal city about 45 minutes from the airport. I chose it because it’s on the coast and decently near ports to travel to Morocco. When we did a little research, we discovered that Marbella seems to be how we travel.

Beach. Coffee. Surfing. Sun. Making friends. More beach. Definitely more coffee.

And I really can’t wait to surf again. I hope I don’t kill myself. 😉

We’ll check out Marbella on Thursday and then take the ferry to Tangier, Morocco Friday-Saturday. This is my dream. I have always wanted to go to Morocco. I don’t know why…except other cultures fascinate me, and I have a few friends who have been there and loved it. Enough for me. And a big thank you to my hubby for obliging. I know Morocco doesn’t excite him nearly as much.

And we are both definitely looking forward to the food there.

We’ll hop back to Marbella Saturday night and stay til Tuesday morning, when we fly here for a quick 22 hours and 50 minutes. 😉 We hadn’t planned on it originally, but the stopover was free and the opportunity to kiss under the Eiffel Tower was too much to pass up.

Oh, and a random confession…I kinda hope it rains a little while we’re there.

Kissing under the Eiffel Tower in the rain?

Right out of a movie.

(Hey, I can hope.) 😉

We’re so thankful for frequent flier miles so we can do this…it seems like a dream.

So, trip aside, it’s been a wonderful Monday for other reasons.

Going to bed early and getting good sleep…even if I woke up at 5:45 a.m. and wanted tea. So I made some and drank it. 😉

Two wonderful chats with friends from Indonesia. :)

AMAZING news about a former student accepting Christ! :)

Encouraging words from a friend. :)

A couple good ideas passed on from a friend about books to read on our trip. :)

Workout tonight…I’m gonna need it after my calorie binge this weekend! :)

Today Mae and I are just home…finishing up a few little things, hanging together, and just enjoying being mommy and daughter. She is full of sunshine and love…and she blesses my heart every single day.

I’m going to miss her so much while we’re gone.

But I also believe with everything in me that Maelie needs a mommy and daddy who invest in each other, too…and this trip is giving us time to do just that.

So I’m gonna spend my day enjoying the most precious little girl…cry a little when we say goodbye to her tomorrrow…and enjoy every single moment.

Well, my mongo coffee mug…the one I refilled once already…is just about empty. 😉

And I should get back to my girl…Elmo is almost over. :)

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, coffee, encouragement, friends, just life, Maelie, marriage, travel, uncategorized, where I am

Life Two Days Before a Trip…

March 4, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

At least I’m not waiting ‘ til the last minute.

:)

Sig

Filed Under: just life, travel

Mel’s Rules for Moving to Illinois

March 3, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

I came across this today as I was sorting through old documents.

According to the last time I updated it, it was written two days after we moved here, on July 30, 2010. I suspect I was feeling lonely, Maelie was napping, and I needed something to do since we had no internet.

I smiled as I read through it…felt a little guilty, but mostly happy.

The way God provides is amazing…and reading this made me so very thankful for the blessings He’s given.

Oh, and I added my commentary ’cause I knew you’d want my reflections. 😉

Mel’s Rules for Moving to Illinois

1. Spend money on the bedroom. It is the place Tobin and I connect and share our most intimate moments. It is worth every single penny. Ok, ok so this one took quite awhile. But we did eventually follow through.

2. It is not wrong to have a most amazing kitchen, especially if it was already that way when we moved in…so don’t feel guilty about it. Success…I feel zero guilt and mostly love for my kitchen. Especially since there are no cockroaches hiding in the silverware drawer. :)

3. Take walks every day and meet my neighbors. (Plus I have that annoying baby weight I need to get rid of anyway…) We did take a lot of walks but that wasn’t really how we met our neighbors…they mostly came to say hi if we were outside. And the baby weight? Well, it took a lot more than walking! 😉

4. Don’t hide behind a closed door and wish for what I can’t have anymore. Thankfully this only happened for a few weeks before I was rescued by an incredible friend. I learned that, having an infant, it was very easy to hide but that I didn’t want to. And once I had a way to not hide, it was pretty easy to open the door.

5. Allow myself a Starbucks or Caribou once a week. Take Maelie and go, looking for someone to talk to. Don’t wait for someone else to initiate the conversation. I’ve definitely made a few friends in coffee shops…and I’ve probably allowed myself more than one coffee a week, too! I maintain that a coffee shop is a great place to find friends. :)

6. Make finding a good church a priority. Don’t sleep in on Sundays and “wait til next week”. (I laugh because there was no such thing as sleeping in ever with Maelie. I’m thankful that, after trying out a few places, God provided the best place for us. We love our church. :))

7. Post pictures of life for friends back in my other “homes”. I’m not a big picture-poster, but I do a decent job through the blog, I think. I’m still not great at keeping in touch, but if someone writes me, I will almost always respond.

8. Update my status on Facebook more often. Epic. Fail. However, I am not a person who wants the world to know what I ate for breakfast or who I’m currently annoyed with. I update it when there’s something to share. :)

9. Find a mom’s group, preferably one that meets at parks so the kids can play. Sunshine is good…especially when I haven’t seen it for several weeks.

LOVE. My mom’s group kinda found me…and I’m forever grateful. Bonus…it’s a mom’s Bible study, which I needed and wanted and was scared to hope for. AND they meet at parks in the summer. :) I love how God gives us desires we’re scared to admit we have.

10. Crying is ok…for a little while. But part of moving on is accepting that things have changed. I did cry for awhile…and the day I decided to like it here was the day I wasn’t sad anymore. I decided that change can bring some of the biggest blessings God has for us, if we’re willing to accept it.

11. True friends will always be there, whether I live down the block or across the world. Don’t be afraid to make some new ones—the old ones aren’t going anywhere. Enough said. :)

12. Give myself some grace in this time of transition. Stop expecting perfection from myself and others. I don’t know how I did on this one…but I know I’m thankful for the people who love me despite my imperfections.

:)

God is GOOD.

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, blessings, culture shock, encouragement, friends, just life, remembering, what I'm learning, where I am

Love Me Some Dr. Seuss…

March 2, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

So I didn’t splash my love for Theodore Geisel all over creation today…there was plenty of Dr. Seuss love goin’ on in the Facebook realm.

But I do love the guy…or at least the masterful literary works he created for our enjoyment.

A few of my favorites…along with a few memories attached to them…in no particular order. 😉

The Lorax: And I’m not just saying this because the movie came out today…this one is right up there with my faves. In college, I used it in a lesson I taught to my peers…and that lesson came complete with making truffula trees. I smile. Good stuff. And I can still recite the whole book…

At the far end of town where the grickle grass grows,
And the wind smells slow and sour when it blows,
And no birds ever sing excepting old crows
Is the street of the lifted Lorax.
And deep in the grickle grass, some people say,
If you look deep enough you can still see today
Where the Lorax once stood just as long as he could
Before somebody lifted the Lorax away.

And I confess…that was typed by memory.

I. Rock. Oh, I do.

Fox in Socks: Goodness, I just like this one for the silly, tongue-tying sentences…my goal (still) is to get through it completely without messing up. I am close…but I still manage to mess up the Bim and Ben page…oy. Still a fun book.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas: This one? Is right up there, too. How I love this story! All year long, too. In fact, I think I read it to Mae last week.

:) I was overjoyed at Christmas to find the actual, animated version on DVD for $4. We watched it several times. Aaahhh…

The Foot Book: I have a newer appreciation for this one…Maelie loves it. And it makes my heart happy to see her love Dr. Seuss…so I’ll say that this one is up there, too.

ABC: My Dr. Seuss list would not be complete without this book, another of which I have memorized every word. It thoroughly annoys me that the smaller board book is different (and shorter) from the regular version. So a real copy of this one is on my I-must-buy-for-Maelie list. :) A classic.

Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?: I add this to the list because, again, my daughter adores this book. She makes all the sounds…and, well…I can make them, too. 😀 But that’s not the point. I love the memories that will be etched in my mind forever from her childhood, and this book is definitely one of those.

Along with the awesome books he wrote, Dr. Seuss left a lot of other wisdom.

One of my favorite quotes is one from him:

Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.

In the craziness that has been our life, this quote has been close to my heart. It’s gotten me through goodbyes and changes and heart hurts and times when life isn’t fair. And it reminds me that there’s always a reason to smile.

Thank you, Dr. Seuss, for SO MANY reasons to smile!

Sig

Filed Under: just life, Maelie, reading, where I am
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