Buen Camino, mi Súper Mujer!

Given last night was a blur..... having helped her with all her Camino gear, going over her checklist and routes, passport, flight itinerary, iPad & iPhone stuff, more packing and adjusting, it seemed endless but appeared that Neve still had loads of time to help our little ones with last minute help/advice on the their upcoming school work and projects.  Once morning arrived, it felt like a routine day preparing the kids for school, making the morning coffee, and then attending my work conference calls while driving the little ones to school..... and then it hit me as I drove back home that today's the day........

Her  lift off was at 3:19 pm and here we go for round #2.

After noon-ish, we were all ready and managed to pick up the kids from school and drive to the airport about 1.5 hours before her flight.  She commented that her backpack was much heavier this time, due to more layering of clothes due to the fact that the temps were going to a bit chilly through the next few weeks ~ mid 50's and drop lower at night.  But I know after a couple of days walk, she probably won't notice the extra weight or layers.  I know if she gets on her way and feels that she no longer needs anything, she may just toss the unnecessary things. So no worries there.

She decided that it would be easiest to drop her off curbside and everyone get their quick hugs and say their goodbyes.  So as easy as that, she was off like the wind.

Now the fun part of her adventures begin... Buen Camino, mi Súper Mujer!

3 Days Left and She is off for the Camino Norte

Yes, you read that title right......Neve is preparing to trek again to Spain but this time for the Northern Route.

Northern Route

This will be her 1st Stage in Irun

I will be posting from the Stateside, being her arm chair quarterback from the luxery of our couch :-)

stay tuned.....

The Camino Shell

It has weathered all 6 weeks on Neve's backpack...

Welcome Home, Pilgrim!

Congratulations! Muy Buen Camino!!

Welcome back to the States...

We're waiting....

Amazing.. Simply amazing..

Neve definitely keeps amazing me!

So Neve is at Paris CDG airport waiting for her return flight and she is having a wonderful conversation with a very nice older Israeli woman. Neve describes her as a hoot with an amazing history and states that she reminds her of my mother. She provided her name and stated she is up for a Nobel Peace Prize for Math and Physics.....

So I looked her up and lo and behold...

Simply amazing... It's just amazing how simple conversations lead into awesome moments!

Speaking of empowered women... Wow!!!

Homecoming for our Peregrina..

The Camino wall map is pretty much complete and well illustrated by our little Monet's, Da Vinci's, Van Gogh's and Picasso's... They loved updating the wall and did a fantastic job visualizing their Momma's trek! Awesome job kiddos!!!!

Now the big anticipation is to hear the stories first hand when Momma arrives tomorrow!

Less than 24 hours and our valiant Pilgrim will make it stateside!!!

Tick tock...

Seeing Pet Angels

I could only imagine the beautiful ocean scenery that Neve and company witness as they approach the far west coast of Spain... the beaches of Finisterra.

I'm sure the sunrise was as beautiful this morning as they approached the final destination to scatter ashes of our beloved critters. The girls helped illustrate the scenery on our Camino Wall for Neve....

A and B took pride in drawing Spinnaker on top, then Q and Alma, big ole Buoy with his Rock Star eyeliner, and finally sweet blind Harbor at the bottom. I'm sure they are just panting and grinning ear to ear watching Mom gaze in awe out at the crashing waves and and take in the beautiful colors of the horizon. Can you hear them barking in the wind?

We miss you all!!!! Thanks Mom for taking us along on your journey!


update:

I was informed that the final resting spot was in Muxia. Neve stated it was raining and as she scattered our beloved animals across the waves, the clouds broke and out shined a rainbow..... Wow!

Have to love Panera Bread...

I just sliced half of the Panera's focaccia bread and made homemade pepperoni pizzas...
Yummmm yummmm

Another Tooth Fairy Sighting?

My eldest girl, B, came up to me last night and showed me one of her front baby teeth that fell out. It's our tradition that the tooth fairy pillow is the beacon for the Tooth Fairy to come. We have used it for all our children and they are so very familiar in what to expect....

Once the pillow is out, the child in 'tooth mourning' leaves precious hand written notes to the Tooth Fairy with wishes for specific candy that all the siblings can share. One standard sweet that is always on the list is Haribo Golden Gummi Bears. This has been Neve's favorite so I'm sure a little bias was planted early on... :-)

They usually get a few treats in lieu of money, mostly because of the fun morning reactions and toothless smiles that brighten the room amongst the innocent interactions and sibling conversations. Sometimes the Tooth Fairy brings a special something that one of the children has so previously longed for. But I suspect tonight it will be simple pleasures for all to enjoy...

Super Mom Made it to Santiago!

Woo Hoo!!!!

Our adventurous SUPER MOM and WIFE has made the long trek to the city of Santiago de Compostela.  She Skyped the kiddos this morning that she attended the famous mass at the church in front of 1000's and she and her fellow pilgrims were in the front row!

So now the last chapter of her journey r is to Fisterra, the furthest edge of Spain to empty out some of our 4 legged ashes that she toted across the world.  Spinnaker, Q, Alma, Buoy and Harbour will be making their final destination on the edge of western European world.  I know they had a great time making this journey with their Super Mom!  I'm sure the sight along the beach/rocks will be a beautiful one.  I can only imagine......

We love you and miss you dearly!

A Beautiful Day...

An email from my endearing peregrina stated she was in a castle Albergue and she had found a little boyfriend by her bed....

...A fat toad...

He may be your Spanish Prince Charming, so pucker up sweety!

It's been a beautiful day here in NC and especially a nice surprise when my little 'Princess A' wanted to ride her bike without training wheels!! She hopped on and was going on the very first try! Now she is riding up and down the sidewalk like a broken record on repeat. She was all smiles!!!

And to top it off, I found a little buddy on my side porch....

What a day!

A Little Show & Tell...

While Neve made it to her next city and closer to the Holy Grail, my 11 year old was asked to display his Origami skills to his little brother's class.

We arrived and had a small sample box of his pre-made paper creations: dinosaurs, birds, walrus, bears, stars, lobster, kangaroo, etc.. for students to view and study.

He started off showing them a simple dog and cat face to make and then move on to a flapping swan and jumping frog.

I was so proud of him showing students how to do this and hopefully inspire them to learn this fun art. I'd like to thank L's teacher for inviting K to demonstrate his finessed skill!!! Thanks so much! He enjoyed it as much as your students!

More Cute Moments

I had the pleasure of seeing the little ones' classrooms and listening to each showing our family around each station. A's teacher is L's last year's Kindegarten teacher and is still awesome!
Little A had an adorable self art portrait with yarn and color paper. I'd have to say it looks just like her...

Sunday Update

It's Sunday morning and I just finished mowing the yard.
The funny thing happened while we were away yesterday...someone vandalized our front yard by placing Romney (republican) signs in our lawn.... I have a few suspects :-) lol

The weather is cool but sunny, and burning away last night's rain. It's our usual 'clean up' day and getting ready for next week. The girls are up the street playing with their friends and the boys are relaxing doing crafts or playing cards upstairs.

I also finished haircuts for the boys so they do not look like neglected children. Haha!

Next on the list is lunch and more cleaning and laundry.
I can say it has been one productive morning...

Last night I updated the wall map and I think Neve left Leon today. I'll catch up with her when she settles for the night.

The kiddos will draw more as soon as we find out about the region scenery and her activities along the way.

Updating the Camino Wall...

Neve passed the halfway point this afternoon!!  Go Neveo!

So the girls just enjoy helping out with the visualizations...and guess who is supervising?

A busy day for me but....

My dogs have it made in the shade.

I'm working on my laptop at my chess table in the great room overlooking the backyard, and I just so happen to glance behind me to see this.....

Really?!!?!?!?

Another day of innocent bliss..

It's amazing how excited our little ones love getting ready for school. Little L gets upset if he can't carry his backpack like his siblings and lead the pack...

And I also received this in A's backpack today.  It is so amazing.....it just makes a grown man smile.....

A Busy Weekend in both Countries..

Since my last post about taking the kiddos to High Point Theatre, it has been one busy weekend.  We arrived home after 1am and Friday morning was too early for me to get up and get the kids ready for school.  But I managed to do my diligent Mr. Mom duties.  After fixing their breakfast, packing their lunches and setting off for school, I think I have this routine down to a science.   The kids and I enjoy the morning walk with their classmates to the school.  It's a great way to start the morning especially with the cool autumn air that feels so refreshing!  

I knew it would be also busy day since B had an appointment to take her cast off in the afternoon and I had some work to be done prior to picking her up.  But sometime after 10,  I ended up with a major migraine and felt a bit nauseated  that I had to lay down and take some meds to help relieve the pain.  I never felt this bad and all I could think about is how am I going to get on with the day like this....  This was just about the most awful feeling like my head was about to burst and to top it off.... if I laid down, my head wouldn't stop spinning.  Fortunately, after taking a double dos of migraine meds it kicked in and I felt a little bit better.  

So after lunch, I felt so much better and got ready to pick up B for her appt.  She was excited when I picked her up and she told me she and had a wonderful day at school.  She is so loving her class!  At the doc's office, the pink arm cast came off  and was advised that her arm will take several weeks to get back to normal (like straightening it and lifting things).  

Then on Saturday, we had  birthday party to go to...  But before that, I was able to get some early mountain biking time in with a neighbor.  It was nice having some of me time.  Really!   

When I got back it was getting ready for our friend's 5th birthday party.  The kids really enjoyed the afternoon and I was able to kick back and see some of college football and my Gamecock's work over Missouri.... Ha Ha Mizou.. welcome to the SEC!!!

So this morning, I woke up to reading Neve's crazy adventure in Burgos.....  She ended up calling us and explaining the whole thing.  All I can say is...WOW.  Leave it to Neve.... it's never a dull moment..... but it seemed to work out ok...  

 

Romeo & Juliet @ High Point Theatre

What a joy it was to watch this play tonight!!!! Oh my, Neve this was a really, really good rendition of Shakespeare's famous play.

If it is still on when you get back I am taking you. It was humorous and witty in the actors' twist of dialogue. The kiddos truly enjoyed it as well!! B really liked Mercutio because he was so loud and funny. The humor was a bit over her head but the adults in the crowd seemed to relish in the quick pro quo dialogue amongst the actors, especially the Montagues.

This theatre created another wonderful stage setting of the inside city walls of Verona. Similar to The Tempest stage setting, it was ingeniously designed for multi-quick stage changes by a slide of a wall and creative lighting.

I truly enjoyed tonight.

Thank you again for being adamant and encouraging me to take them!

We give it 10 thumbs up :-) from me, R, K, T and B.

Here's a pic of the stage..