Our Weekend Getway

While my mom was here Jason worked a DoDDs basketball tournament in Weisbaden for 4 days. We made a little getaway vacation out of it for a couple of days after the tournament was over. 

It was so wonderful being able to sleep in, take our time doing what we wanted, and most of all enjoying each others company. 

I love this man more and more with each passing day/year we are together!

100 Days in Mrs. Cortez's Class

Thursday is my usual day to go into Grace's class and work during center time. It happen to fall on the 100th day of kindergarten, so I was able to join in on the activities with the kids.

Mrs. Cortez is an amazing teacher and we are so thankful Grace was blessed with her this year. She did a fantastic job organizing activities for the kids to do for the celebration. The each had 8 centers to complete, each focusing on the number 100.

Grace and her good friend Jenna.

This one at the snack table was her favorite. She talked about it all week!They each took 10 snacks from each bowl for a total of 100.

 Hard to believe she had been in kinder for 100 days and first grade is right around the corner.

I cherish the days I volunteer in her classroom.

AJ's Soccer Time

Jackson is loving his German soccer team! It's fun to watch the drills the teacher does with them.

They really focus on footing and not so much just run around and kick the ball into the goal. We are looking forward to seeing him play in the games soon!

Sicily, Day 4

Our last morning of waking up in Sicily was perfect! We loved being able to go on our balcony and enjoy listening to the waves crash on the shore. This sweet seagull quickly became our friend once we started feeding it crackers.

The views from our balcony.

Last but not least the gang! It was so special having my mom join me on this girls trip. I am so thankful she was able to come with us! We had a great time and great memories were made during our 4 day trip.

This pistachio filled croissant was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! So good that I ordered two...I'm on vacation, right?

Sicily was a beautiful place and so worth the visit. After this trip I know where to visit and where not to visit. I would love to bring the family back and enjoy the outer islands. Caio, Sicily!

Sicily, Day 3

The B&B we stayed at in Agrigento brought us this amazing breakfast set up. It was a lot of food for girls who don't usually eat a big breakfast. We loved the pistachio filled croissonts and the fresh filled canoli's. Nothing like a little sugar high first thing in the morning!

On our drive to Trapani we took our time and stopped at a road side stand where an older lady was selling fruit. We bought a couple of oranges and another fruit called a cetro (pronounced "chet-ro"). It was a mild version of a lemon, but very refreshing in a tart kind of way.

On the drive we took a pit stop in Segesta. We shopped at a pottery shop and purchased a few pieces from a gentleman who was very nice and helpful. He recommended a restaurant his friend owned so we decided to check it out.

This place was tucked in a little alley way and was full of character. The waiter imformed us that there was no menu and only what was caught fresh that morning. There was a set menu of typical Sicilian food. There was some crazy things on that set menu, most of which I would not of ordered if it was my choice. But turned out it was fun to try new things and I really enjoyed them!

For the appetizer was: fried new fish (the whole fish), fish and oranges, baked baby fish (the whole fish!), and swordfish (backbone and all). I have to admit there were times that I gagged a little when I crunched down on the spine or bit down on the fishes head; but for the most part it was amazing food.

For the main dish we had a huge portion of fettuccine, mussels, big shrimp and fresh tomatoes. My mom on the other hand thought she was ordering pasta and shrimp, but when it came out it was a bunch of small squid. Her face was priceless! She was a brave soul and tried most of the meal with a smile on her face.

We arrived in Trapani when it was late, but we loved what we saw for our hotel room! It was right on the water and a good size for the four of us.

It was a beautiful night to walk around the city.

On the walkplatz there was a great wine/tapas bar. We must of sat there for hours enjoying yummy food and wine.

Sicily, Day 2

We woke up to a great breakfast set up right outside our hotel rooms. We were the only ones in the hotel because of our visit during the "off season." After a breakfast of pastries and eggs we went of to explore Cefalu a little and then drive to our next stop Agrigento.

During our walk we ran into the man who runs the hotel we stayed at. He is renovating a small apartment right above the beach (the view from the balcony is above) the he will be renting out on booking.com soon. I would love to be able to stay there one day. It was a beautiful, quaint little place with a nice balcony to sit and listen to the waves. Maybe one day...

This is the walk up to the apartment. I love the curves of the ceiling.

While we were out shopping we stopped at this ceramic shop. The owner showed us his workshop where all the magic happens. I took a pottery class in the past and have a whole new appreciation for these artists.

While walking through the streets we were stopped with a funeral procession coming our way. Since we didn't have much of a choice we had to stop and watch it come by. The priest led the way, followed by the Hearst with the casket and about 500 people walking behind it. We stopped for a coffee and just watched in amazement as the procession passed us. Quite a way to experience this part of Sicilian culture!

We had many, many coffees like this during our trip.

We hiked up to La Rocca (the rock) to see the view from the top. It was a beautiful, cloudless day to see the different colors of the ocean. We were loving the warm sunshine!

The cathedral was quite a sight to see. I never get tired of seeing the amazing churches Europe has to offer.

Many of the steps here are decorated. Love these  beautiful tiles with bright colors.

Liz being a rockstar navigating our rental car through the crazy Italian streets!

After our 2 hour drive to Agrigento we arrived. This place was a lot different from our last destination in many ways. We were a little sketched out not only by the looks of the place, but the streets were literally downhill with 90 degree angle curves. Liz is an amazing driver! We were holding our breath and closing our eyes for a big portion of the time we were finding our hotel.

Thankfully we arrived and it was a perfect place for us.

Horsemeat baby food?!? No, thank you!

Condoms in a vending machine?!?

This is the outside of our B&B. It didn't look like much, but this is an ideal way to stay. Dive into the culture and embrace it!

We set out for dinner with not much of a plan and stumbled upon this place.

It was more of a tapas place, but that was perfect for us.

After a meal and lots of yummy Sicilian wine, we were on a mission for a cannoli. We found the perfect place! The man who worked here fit the epitome of a cannoli maker. He loved his job and especially his cannolli's!

For some reason he wanted us to pose with this cake he made. I guess he was quite proud of it. Day two was a success!