36 hours in Iceland...

Another place in the world I never thought I would get to go: Iceland.  Will found a flight home that allowed for 24 hour layovers.  So we left Paris at 5 am Paris time and flew for a few hours to Iceland.  We arrived around 8:30 am Iceland time.  We rented a car (including getting all the information about how to  not wreck the car by opening the doors when it was windy) and went to our airbnb.  We couldn't check in yet.  I was so exhausted from the day before and getting up so early the next morning.  I took my pillow and took a nap in the car while Will took a hike on his own.

After a little (a lot of) rest we drove out to another hike.  I went this time up to some hot springs.  Iceland is cold and windy (even in July) but SO beautiful!  I we enjoyed the hike up past boiling steam vents.  

 

When we got to the top of the spring there was space for people to get into the water.  I was a spoiled sport and wouldn't get in the water.  Even though it was hot in the water I didn't want to walk back to the car in the wind when I was wet.  Will had to take the hot dip alone.  

Back at our airbnb we unpacked a little and went to find dinner at a Spanish Tapas place next door to our airbnb.  The food was delicious and the atmosphere was loud and wild.  We finished eating around midnight and took this picture of the unsetting sun.

Thankfully the airbnb had black out curtains and we got a good night's sleep.  Iceland is so far north they have endless days in the summer and endless nights in the winter.  We both want to take the kids back some day.

We walked around Reykavik and had brunch at a sweet little spot.  It was interesting to see the different architecture in Iceland compared to Paris.  Turns out Iceland has very little natural recourses.  Trees grow slowly and the volcanic soils sin't good for concrete.  So they have building materials shipped in from Europe.  The house we stayed in was built in England and shipped, flat packed, in parts to Reykjavik.  It is one of the oldest buildings in the town.  

The last thing we did before heading to the airport and home was Fly over Iceland.  I guess it is a thing they have in lots of places but Iceland was the first place I ever saw it.  It was a spectacular swoop over the most amazing scenery.  It made me want to go back to Iceland even more!  Some day.  

After a short but packed 36 hours we headed back to the airport to fly home.  I cannot believe I got to go to Paris and Iceland in one week of my life.  I am a lucky girl!

We went to...Paris!

For a few weeks Will has been talking with international investors.  He kept telling me he might have to go to Paris for work sometime this summer.  I didn't think it would really happen, after all, we live in a post COVID world where all meetings can happen on zoom.  Imagine my surprise when Saturday Will said he had to go to Paris to meet with investors and was leaving Monday.  We only had to to a tiny bit of scrambling to make sure everything was covered so I could go too!

Colter went to his cousin's house on the peninsula for a week long baseball camp we had already signed him up for.  Adell and Clare were confident they could hang out at home for the week.  So Monday night we headed to the airport and flew through the night to Paris! 

This is what two parents look like leaving for a week "work vacation" in Paris: 

 

Knowing we would only be there for five days I decided not to stress about getting myself onto Paris time.  Will, on the other hand, had to prepare for meetings and be more on Paris time.  I took lots of naps whenever I wanted.  Our first day we walked around the city a little bit as the sun set.  It was beautiful!

The next day we did a little more exploring.  Will took a run between the two ends of the Arc de Triumph. We walked together through the Tuileries Garden by the Louvre.  I got this great picture with a stature of  my name sake: Cassandra.  We both have exceptionally fine bums.

We got a peek at the Eiffel Tower and ate some yummy cafe food.

The next day was Will's actual work meetings.  He was gone all day so I explored on my own.  We stayed right in the center of Paris so it was easy to explore.  I tried to get lost and succeeded.  Only gaining my bearings by finding Ru Du Rossini and making my way back to the hotel from there.  

I found gifts for the kids, including some sweet Paris fashion for the girls.  I took myself to lunch at a little cafe and walked until I got blisters.  After some rest I did another long walk zig-zagging myself across the Seine River.  There are some 13 bridges that cross the Seine in Paris.  I crossed seven of them and made it all the way from my hotel to the Eiffel Tower.  It was fun to see the tower get bigger and bigger as I walked.  

The next day, and our last full day in Paris, we went to the Louvre Museum.  We got tickets for 9:00 am and were some of the first into the museum.  That meant the line to see the Mona Lisa was "short" and we got to see some very cool stuff before the crowds got wild.

We walked around for three hours and didn't even scratch the surface of what there was to see!  I loved seeing the parts that were preserved palace rooms.  Stunning!

We walked down towards Noter Dame to find a cafe Will had heard had amazing Kouign-amann.  Unfortunately, the bakery was closed for renovations!  But we still enjoyed the walk and eating at another bakery.  We met up with old friends from our Boston/Stanford days, the Furrs.  Nathan and Suzanna Furr  live in Paris now.  It was so fun to see them and catch up.  

Nathan and Suzanna walked with us back up to the Eiffel Tower for our tickets to walk up the tower.  I was pretty tired from the museum in the morning and the walk all evening.  Still we hiked up all those thousands of steps!  The views at the top were wonderful and worth every step.

We caught a taxi back to our hotel and tried to get packed up for our 5 am flight to Iceland and home.  It was such a bonkers, amazing, wonderful time.  I still cannot believe I got to go to Paris.  I am still pinching myself.

Catch up on the kids part 3 Colter May - July 2022

 Regretting this idea with every post down the kid line.  Started in June...it's now August and I have to go back and update Lorien!?!

Colter had the most end of school performances.  First his class had their fairy tales "Character Matters" play.  He had been practicing for a while and reminded me to NOT go back over old photos and videos from when Adell did this play so I wouldn't spoil the fun.  He did a great job as Humpty Dumpty's friend and sang with gusto in all of the group numbers.

 

His final performance was a recorder concert with his class.  He worked hard on recorder playing too.  For most of the year he had to play through a mask with a hole cut in it.  It didn't make a lot of sense but still.  I guess it was more like the two flaps of fabric that make up the front of boy's underwear.  I don't know.  It gave me a giggle and seemed pointless but COVID makes us do weird stuff these days.

Colter has been working on some fun projects.  He loves puzzles and usually has one going at all times.  Colter also bought a big pearler bead craft.  It took months but he finished this summer.  Lorien sent Colter a video camera for his birthday.  He is excited to film videos for his YouTube channel.  

  

May is birthday month for Colter!  It is a hard month to throw a party because so much is going on in May.  Colter hasn't had a friend party in years...thanks to COVID and a May birthday.  This year we invited his friends over for flag football and a movie.  They all had a great time and I am glad they could come.  

 

Colter also got to celebrate while Wyatt was home which made Colter's birthday extra special.  

Colter is always up for a hike.  Even if the end is in the dark.  We took the family up to Fort Anderson while Wyatt was here.  Colter loved the views but hated walking through the tall grass to get up to Fort Anderson.  The idea of bugs in the grass was too freaky.  But he make the climb and the walk.  Brave boy!

This summer has been the summer of summer camps for Colter.  First, in the first week of summer vacation, Colter went out to a Christian camp with one of his best friends, Rock.  Colter had an amazing week making friends and doing all of the great things at camp.  We missed him but he had the best time!

He was gone the same week the girls were at girls camp.  So Will and I were home alone for the week.  Colter was gone for one extra day so we really missed him.

Colter made the drive out to Yosemite for Will's birthday.  It was a little hard because we just have the 5 seater Tesla now.  The whole family really fills the car up.  It is also a wicked smooth ride...almost too smooth as most of us got car sick on the drive out.  Ice cream helped.

I was so thankful to have Colter's company as I walked back down from the 1/2 way point of the Yosemite Falls hike.  He was considerate about the pace (my knees made me go slow) and kept up entertaining chatter for me.  Especially nice since I had to go to the bathroom and needed the distraction.  

We stopped for dinner on our drive between Yosemite and Columbia.  Colter was crunching his ice and bit down on a loose tooth.  It hurt like crazy...and surprise, the tooth had fallen out!

Columbia was good to Colter.  He got to dress in old-timey clothes.  Dip candles, take a stage coach ride, the hoodlum who robbed us on the stage coach refused to take Colter when we offered him as money, buy candy, and check out a blacksmith.  

 

Colter was great about asking for his picture in all of the places or turning around when I said to.

Colter enjoyed hanging with Lorien and the older cousins during Johnson Fest.  Colter loves Lorien.  It is always good when she is home or with our family.

 

We had the best beach day, complete with yummy food and ice cream.

 

Colter is a big car guy.  Uncle Richard has an old truck he fixed up.  Uncle Richard encouraged Will to take the kids out.  

Colter jumped off the roof several times.  But the most fun was had for Colter playing with the older cousins.  Colter wasn't afraid to splash them and call them out in every game.  The big cousins were good sports.

Lorien drew some cute art while fireworks were going on.

 

Summer camp 2 was a 3D printing camp...wait the second camp was actually a wrestling camp right before Will's birthday but I don't have any pictures of that.  So camp 3, 3D!  Colt went to this camp with one of his other best friends, Lewis.  

 

Where are we... July.  Ok, Colter helped Uncle Chris and Cousin Keaton work on the car they are fixing up.  Chris and Keaton are rebuilding a 1974ish Mercury Capri for a race called the 24 hours of Lemon.  You have $500 for a car.  Then you have to drive it around a track for 24 hours.  Colter loves cars and loved learning about how to fix parts for this.  

 

Colter also had fun with cousins on Will's side of the family.  He was very nice to Lilly and kept her company.  When we got home Colter was delighted to see himself in Uncle Chris's YouTube video on the project.  Check it out: 24 hours of Lemon! Colter shows up at about the 16 minute mark.  

Lorien came home for a few days after her trip to Oregon with her roommates.  We loved having her here. She was a little weary from more than a week in the same car as her roommates.  I guess it isn't just our own family...everyone gets annoyed with each other in a car long enough.  It was a treat to have her.  We love that girl.  

 

Colter has been so sad since Wyatt took his PS4 with him to Idaho.  Over the summer he decided to start earning money to buy his own.  He washed the inside and outside of all of the downstairs windows.  It was hard and hot!

The last and final camp was Baseball camp with Colter's cousin, Luke.  Colter had never played baseball but the camp was especially for new ball players.  Colter started out on the little kids dugout but they moved him up quickly.  He figured out the game and gave it his all.  When he wasn't at baseball camp from 9-3 he and his cousins were playing games, rollerblading, and being best friends.  

 

What a summer!  Camps, camps, camps and trips for Colter.