Our US Adventures Begin

Matching outfits for church, including tennis shoes.  Thanks Rach for the photo bomb!  Oh and Jake grew 1/2 inch and is now taller than Dad.

Proud Momma's 

Museum at Point Lobos

The cousins had a day together.  Lily and Jonah were a bit worried about sitting on that rock.

Monterey Bay Aquarium.  Grammie made plenty of visits to this museum b/c it is so kid friendly.

Mel and I took a bike ride to the dunes.  Jake and I did the same bike ride earlier in the day.  I got to do it twice in the same day!

Asilomar State Park, just down the hill from our rental house.  What an amazing place.

Jelly fish are everyone's favorite.  So fascinating.

Cutsie Portugals.  They could spend hours at the beach and that's fine by me.

Sunset, Asilomar Beach.

Tom loves to stay out way past the sunset until it is pitch dark

The Bench.  Fabulous view and fabulous food (butternut squash flatbread and falafel salad)

We biked from our house all the way to Carmel.  Took us all day!

Sunset at the beach.  Hard to get enough.

Last part of the Monterey trip was having a girls 'get-away' with Tom of course!

Biked to the Fort Ord dunes

Enjoying the sun and sea

An undisturbed beach

Back to the Bench.  This time at night with the fire and warm blankets.  Magical.

Walk and Talk on the Beach

Beholding the Beauty

It is hard to leave.  A marvelous couple of weeks in a gorgeous part of the world.  Nice to have family visit.  Nice to chill and visit and play.  A great experience for our first time back to the US as residents, although it still feels like an extended home leave and we will be returning soon.  With our mission, then we are returning soon, just not to Belgium.

Brussels Au revoir!

Last day in Brussels.  For real.  This is it.  My heart is breaking but at the same time overflowing with gratitude.  Tom and I are both sitting here in Daniel's apartment (which was a Godsend) and writing our thoughts.  How do you capture 28 years of memories?  How do you say good-bye?  How come time marches ever onward?  You only get to enjoy the ride, you can never hold onto it.  You can only take one last, long glance and then you have to move on.  Turning the last page of this chapter and about to begin a new chapter.  But for today, I plan to linger and savor this very last page of this chapter.  It's been glorious, amazing, wonderful, marvelous, and chock full.  SIGH.  Good-bye Brussels.  I will always, always love you.  Thanks for all the memories and for being so good to us.  Sniff.
We walked downtown and meet friends in the Grand Place.  Franks, Rockows, Harts.  We enjoyed the city all lit up (just for us we think!).  Ate dinner at Lotus Vert.  Now it's time for bed.  Goodnight.  It was a glorious last day.