Catching up...

Well... where do I start? I have missed a lot of big events in the past few months. Four months which have flown by. I will start from the beginning and, in a few blogs, hopefully catch up to where we are today.

On November 7th we were waiting impatiently for our new nephew, Baby Nash to be born... finally we got work the next morning. Sometimes this big time difference is just no fun!! Also on the 7th my Mom and Dad arrived for their holiday in Tunisia. We were so excited to have our first visitors. Right away Mom and Dad fit in here and Dad met his first friend about 2 hours into their visit. Unfortunately, they didn't get together for a coffee or visit again. It only took a few trips out into the city with my parents before they were off on their own, exploring the city and driving north to visit towns outside of Tunis and taking trains south to tour Kerkennah Island. They also took 12 or so days to tour Rome (Dad was finally able to see the Colliseum, as it was closed 40 years ago when they visited) and to bus down the Amalfi Coast. It was a trip Mom had really been wanting to take and they had a wonderful time and took many beautiful photos.

We were able to take advantage of having the Grandparent babysitters here and take a couple kid-free trips. At the end of November, Travis and I, along with 2 Canadian friends, Jenn and Chris, flew to Barcelona for 4 days. We had a great time touring the historical sights. Especially awe-inspiring was the Goudi architecture. We spent parts of 2 days on a bus tour and the rest of the time we walked around the Ramblas area, down little alleys and the main streets, watching street performers, looking in shops, having coffee and tapas and sangria!! I especially enjoyed finding sausage to bring home. It was a great few days to spend with friends and experiencing a new city. It was especially nice for Travis to get away from work and actually relax a little.

Two days after we got home from Barcelona, my friend Anika and I jetted off on a quick trip to visit the Nuremburg Christmas Market. What a great place for a girls' getaway! We arrived in the afternoon and after settling in to our hotel, found our way to the Market inside the walls of the old city. We were a little shocked at how chilly it was, although we were told it only got to about -3C. The night we were caught in the snowstorm I'm SURE it was colder than that! The Market was wonderful. Right away we got ourselves a mug of Gluhwein and some potato pancake things. Then we toured the Market stalls and drank more Gluhwein to keep warm. We did wander into a few of the permanent shops around the town square where the Market was located but mostly to keep warm. We were there for the Market and didn't really concern ourselves with the history of the city (much to the dismay of my dad I think LOL). For the next day and a half we wandered the stalls of the Market, found STARBUCKS and ate real German food! Delicious! It was a great time and I would love to take the girls and Travis back to experience the Markets sometime.

We were only back in our regular routine for about a week before Hunter was on holidays!! Three weeks without making snacks, or getting up at 630am... at least with an alarm. We spent the week before Christmas relaxing and getting ready for Christmas. And one trip down to Centre-ville to visit the souk. On Christmas Eve, Dad and I spent most of the morning, and and some of the afternoon, at the travel agent trying to organize our trip to the desert. We finally got it booked and my car had been towed!! Happy Christmas Eve!! We had Travis' families traditional dinner of Swedish meatballs and spareribs in the company of friends. On Christmas Day, we had a fun morning opening gifts and watching the girls enjoy their fish eggs from Grandpa Warren. ;) In the afternoon we went to Jenn and Chris' for the turkey dinner, again to enjoy with many friends! It is wonderful to have such wonderful friends, who have become like family, to spent the special "family" holidays with!

We left the holiday gathering early to get ready for our big trip to the Sahara... leaving early on Boxing Day morning.....