Trip to Portugal

Today I'm trying to update you on some of the many things that have happened in the last few months so you will notice that I've posted quite a few today alone. Back in September I went to Portugal to spend about 10 days with my family. I missed being home so much. I would have loved to have taken Allie and Brenton with me but the tickets were off the charts. Needless to say that after you bear children your family only wants you to show up if you bring the children along, otherwise... hahahah!! This time I told my family that they would have to just get over it and enjoy only me!:) After spending about 24 hours traveling I was finally in Portugal! I always get emotional as the plane flies over the Atlantic Ocean and gets close enough to the coast to where I can see the houses and the neighborhoods and I know that I'm back home. My family was waiting for me and it was so nice to hug them again. We drove to Coimbra which is situated about 2 hours north of Lisbon and although I was exhausted I just stared at everything, just trying to cease the moment as much as possible. That same night I had the chance to go to Eliana's Bachelorette party and hung out with some of my old time friends. It was so nice! We talked about old crazy things we used to do and laughed our heads off! The week went by fast but with a lot going on. Hanging out with my mom was so great. Just to spend time with her was worth everything. It's hard to explain, but I'm sure you have experienced this too, that when I go home I feel like I'm still a little girl. I feel protected, spoiled, taken care of and my worries are definitely minimized. I spent time with my brothers, sisters in law and nephew and wished I had more of it everyday. And then the food!!! Oh my goodness! How I missed my mom's cooking! I love Portuguese food! The soups, fresh fish and shrimp, not to mention the bread, the pastries and of course the CHOCOLATE!!!! We get a lot of Swiss chocolate there which is my ultimate favorite!!!! Needless to say that I was in Heaven!! The icing on the cake would be to have my little ones there. Allie and Brenton really enjoyed everyone there when I took them with me in 2006 and always have lots of questions about the language itself. They always pray in Portuguese and for Avo Tina. They are so sweet. We went to several different places and visited several castles. We also went to the Mosteiro da Batalha and to the beach in Figueira da Foz and that brought back so many fun memories of so many incredible summers. My last day there was spent at Eliana's wedding. The weather was perfect and it was so much fun! I got to see all of my friends that since have been married are pretty much spread everywhere between Spain and Portugal. So if it wasn't for the wedding I wouldn't have been able to see everyone at the same time! What a treat! I really had a good time and then it was time to fly back. Goodbyes are so hard... and it seems like they get harder every time I go there. The trip back was very exhausting and I learned never to travel with US airways again!!! Finally got home safe and sound and headed to work the very next morning.