Welcome to Bornholm

On our first day on the island of Bornholm, we rented cars in Ronne, and drove to Bodelsker to visit the church where the Nielsons' ancestor was christened. It was open and we were free to explore and even sit and enjoy reading from the journal of great great great grandfather Nielson. (Our big group filled out the small chapel nicely.) The caretaker met up with us at the bell tower and gave us some interesting history of the area.

Alice played something perfect on the piano for us.

The night prior was one of those where I did not sleep. At all. Just look at those tired eyes. And man, I am sure getting the mileage out of that peach sweater!

 The Bell Tower.

The landscape of every little town was so beautiful. Farms and green pastures as far as we could see.

We got separated from the rest of the group, but found our way to one of the beautiful beaches with Christian and Stephanie. We discovered the most fine and soft sand. It was squeaky to walk on and felt so good on our feet.

Christian collected sand for his kids, but I was scared of the mess it would make in my suitcase, so I gathered some cool flat rocks instead. They were all over the beach. And most of them we could easily break in our hands. (These few resisted breaking, for whatever reason.) I want to know the story behind both the sand and rocks.  My basic college geology isn't really helping.

 Skipping rocks was a must.

We ate a delicious five course dinner at a restaurant called Le Port, overlooking the Baltic Sea. (But then, practically everything overlooks the Baltic Sea on this small island.) Mark and a few of the brother-in-laws took a little swim in the Baltic, earlier this day. I didn't have to do it, to tell you it was icy cold! Like the kind of cold where I was a little worried Mark would have a sudden heart attack or his body would seize up and sink. He not only survived, but repeated the swim the next day with a few others.

Polka dots. 

photo by liz

let the photos do the talking

scenes from our quick trip to southern california. 

sans kids. 

yes. it was perfect. and yes, we missed them.

A very big thank you to Grandma Mary, for watching our children. They loved every minute of it!

the beach and the best italian food ever

The beach sounds awefuly good this time of year, with 100+ temps already here at home.  So off we went.  San Diego did not disappoint.  The beach and water were chilly, but a welcome kind of chilly, you know?

Molly spent hours in the frigid ocean - boogie boarding to her heart's content.

 Owen had his own version of boogie boarding.

 Jonah loved it too.

Grace spent hours building sand castles and perfecting her running long jump skills.

The babies were content to play in and eat the sand. And chase birds.  They were not interested in the water, thank goodness.

We also discovered the most delicious Italian restaurant: PIATTI.  I can safely say, it is my new favorite, Italian or not. Bar none. Everything about it was perfect: the bread and dipping oil, the food, the decor, the white tablecloths - everything! I had the RAVIOLI AL LIMONE: House-Made Ricotta & Basil Ravioli Served w. Lemon Cream or Tomato Sauce. I ordered half lemon / half tomato sauce, but quickly wished I'd ordered all lemon.  It was to die for. I have dreamed every night of Piatti and that ravioli. I am not kidding.

This was really a fun trip and a great way to kick off the summer.

Laguna Beach: spring break lessons learned

1.  Don't worry about not bringing a camera to your one day at Disneyland. Your phone will suffice.  Plus, you don't need another heavy bag to lug around.  Nothing unique about D-land photos anyway.

2.  Never return to Disneyland for spring break.  Never. Ever. (Why didn't we learn that lesson 3 spring breaks ago?)

3.  Cousin Perry is oh soo good with babies.  That's actually nothing we didn't already know. 

4.  Don't believe Darin when she says her lovely home is "nothing special."

 5.  Watch those babies around stairs.

 6.  Don't forget your camera on the day you spend at Laguna's Main Beach.  You will miss photo ops of your kids on boogie boards, loving the cold water and babies playing happily in the sand.

 7.  Always make time for the amazingly secluded beach just across the street from your hosts.  It is stunning.

 8. Let Mark take the camera, even if he resists a little.

9.  Let Molly take the camera every now and again too.  She's got a good eye and enjoys taking pictures.

 10.  Your dream beach house looks good from the back too.

11.  Don't believe the kids when they whine about not wanting to go explore the secluded beach.  They will thank you later.

 12.  Everything in CA grows!  Obviously.

 13.  Your hostess is fabulous.