The Good, Bad, and Random

As the title suggests, this post is a bit of a recap of what's being going on and what's on my mind. (In the Navy, they would call this "goods and others", which I used to find strange and now realize is so typical of military-speak.) I think most people's lives are a constant mix of positive and negative, this is mine currently...

-Our June is filling up with family visiting! My aunt and uncle bought tickets for the end of the month and my mom, sister, and adorable niece are looking at tickets for the beginning of the month. We haven't seen any of them since my sister's wedding in October. I can't wait to show them the place that we've called home for 2 years! Sidenote: Can't believe it will be 2 years at that point. Whoa. 

-We've been making a knockoff version of one of our favorite pizzas (from El Horno de Leña in Puerto). It doesn't look that exciting but it is ridiculously good. Sauce, mozzarella, goat cheese, honey, and oregano. Delicious combination of flavors and oh so simple. We had it for dinner Monday night, with spinach and balsamic vinaigrette salad. If goat cheese is your thing (and it should be) give it a try.

-A friend of ours from Norfolk happened to be in town Tuesday night. It was a short visit, but we went downtown for drinks, tapas, and the Real Madrid v. Barcelona match. It was great to catch up with someone we hadn't seen in a while and it made me a little nostalgic for our time in Virginia. One of the perks of this lifestyle is that the Navy really is a small world and you never know when you'll meet up with someone again. And Madrid won!

Abbi is uno!

from Meghann:

To Abbigail...

I can't believe it's been a year since we made the phone call from our hotel in Bruges and found out that you had just been born! Seems like not that long ago that we became a tia and tio. But looking back at pictures, you have really grown and changed so much.

We first met you in February, when you were only 3 weeks old, but already so alert and you just couldn't keep your arms and legs still. It made a photo shoot a little challenging...

Uncle Graham holding his niece for the first time and looking terrified.

By April you were rolling over and checking out the world from belly-level. 

This summer you had become a little person - so much personality! And already a beach baby!

When we went home for the wedding in October, you were taking your first steps! 

We are so sad that we can't be there for your first birthday, we know it's a big one, and we hope you can forgive us for missing it. We wish we could see you more often, but want you to know how much we love you and miss you! Have a wonderful day and we'll be thinking about you from across the ocean. And tell your mom to book some tickets to España!

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Abbi! 

My little sister's big dia!

from Meghann:

 Today is my little sister and her husband's 1 month anniversary! I can't believe a month has passed since we were in Maryland to celebrate Catherine and Doug's wedding day. Like our other trips back to the States, we had a lot going on - spending time in DC, another friend's fabulous wedding, holing up for Superstorm Sandy with Dark and Stormies, getting stuck in the States because flights were delayed and cancelled. But this was the main event!

I took some photos while it was just us girls getting ready, before the photographer* arrived. This is such a special part of any wedding day and I think something that every soon-to-be-married lady looks forward to. The private girl time, hiding out from the boys, the mimosas, playing fun music, getting beautified, the moments before the dresses go on and the momentum of the day takes off. 

A little taste of España in Chestertown, Maryland. Cava - yum!

My pretty sister!

Familia, friends, and food...

is what our trip to the States was filled with. We took separate space-A flights over (flights that military members and their dependents can get on for free, if there is extra space) and both ended up on cargo planes. This meant there were jump seats instead of regular airliner seats, ear plugs were necessary due to the noise, we had to wear layers since it was not climate controlled like a commercial plane, and we spent most of the 9 hour flight sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag. On the positive side, it was free, we had plenty of leg room, and it got us where we wanted to go (well, we flew into New Jersey, but close enough) which was to Maryland to meet this little lady:  

Our niece, Abbigail! She arrived back in January, when we were in Belgium.

Tio and Tia

There were dos deliveries recently:  one on the first day of our trip to Bruges and one the day after our return.  The first, biggest, best, most exciting delivery was our niece!  We are officially Tio Graham and Tia Meghann.  Say "hola" to Abbigail:

She was born on Friday (the 13th!) right as we were checking in to our hotel. Thanks to some international phone calls, Meghann was able to speak with her sister and her madre.  We also had a chance to talk to Abbi on the phone and let her know that we can't wait to meet her in February.  After that, we celebrated our new tio-and-tia status with some Belgian cervezas.  Bienvenida, Abbigail!