Shortly after I returned from the Florida Keys, I flew out to Portland, Oregon for Bonney’s west coast baby shower. She asked Laura and Courtney (friends of hers from college) and me to fly out a few days early for a little get away to the coast before the shower. After we all arrived in Portland we drove to a little coastal town called Manzanita where we stayed in a great cabin that was walking distance to the beach. We watched movies, shopped, walked on the beach and just relaxed. It was great! We all had a great time together, but felt it was much too short. Above is a photo of the four of us outside our cabin. After a couple of days, we headed back to Portland for Bonney’s shower that was being held at her house and co-hosted by her niece and a friend from soccer.

At the end of March Aaron, Rita and I spent a week together in the Florida Keys. We all flew into Miami, and elected to rent a car to drive down the full length of the Keys as we had heard about the beautiful vistas. That turned out to be a slightly overrated experience – although there were some moments where all you could see was beautiful water in all directions – the views were mostly of strip malls, tattoo parlors, liquor stores, etc. – but the rest of the trip was just what we were hoping for. We rented a house on Sugarloaf Key (about 15 minutes outside of Key West) that was on the water and had a pool. We spent the week relaxing at the house, reading, playing games, going out to eat, swimming in the pool… Our one big activity for the week was a private charter and snorkeling trip out of Key West with Dream Chaser Charters, who we would definitely recommend. We had a great day being out on the water, snorkeling and they even served us a delicious lunch. At the end of the week we drove up to Miami and spent a fun night there in The Angler’s Resort. It was a fun and relaxing week. Click on the photo above to see the album from our time in the Keys.

In late February Aaron and I spent a weekend in New York to a) celebrate Aaron’s Birthday, b) to visit with Bonney and c) so that Sarah could attend Bonney’s east coast (that’s right there was a west coast one too) baby shower. We had a great weekend with lots of city walks and lots of good eating. Bonney introduced us to The Highline – a public park that has been built on an elevated rail structure (carried a freight train from the 1930s – the 1980s) in Manhattan’s West Side. We ate at Shun Lee Palace, City Bakery, Katz’s Deli and Artisanal – not too bad for just a weekend. And Sarah joined Bonney’s family and friends at a celebration for the baby we now know as Rowan.

In October last year Aaron and I took a much needed vacation and traveled out west to Orcas Island off of the coast of Washington State. We took a trip to Orcas Island over the summer of 2008 and liked it so much we decided to go back. Again, we flew out to Seattle, met up with Bonney and Patrick and made our way out via ferry to the San Juan Islands. We rented the same house as the year before and quickly settled back in. It was a little cooler than our last visit – so we wore fleeces rather than tee shirts – but we loved it just the same. We played games, read books, had delicious food both that we made and out at restaurants, explored the island – and relaxed. Having enjoyed the same house two years in a row, I think we are all starting to delude ourselves that it’s ours…

Towards the end of the summer we spent a weekend on the Cape with Aaron’s family. We enjoyed spending time with Andrew and his friend Cordelia and were lucky with the weather, so we got to spend the majority of the weekend outside. It was a relaxing visit and great as always to be able to spend time together. Click on the photo above of Lisa and her dog Lindy to see the small album of photos from the weekend.

Way back in July (I know, I know I am so far behind) the family made our usual trek down to the Connecticut shore for a lovely vacation at the beach. We swam, played games, read, napped – all very good things – and enjoyed being together in such a wonderful place. Justin keeps asking Amy and Joe when they can go back to the beach and I feel exactly the same way. Highlights from our time this summer would be the sparklers on the 4th of July, the bonfire on the beach, playing in the sand and all of Justin’s “fishing” (like in the photo above). Needless to say, we had a really great time. There is a large album of photos from our time there this summer. Normally, I would break it up across several posts, but I am trying (I swear) to catch up.

It was Joe’s idea actually…so my thanks to him. Back in mid June, Amy and I went away for a weekend, just the two of us to Meredith, New Hampshire for a relaxing weekend. We stayed at The Church Landing at Mill Falls in a room that looked out on Lake Winnipesaukee. We had some good meals, went shopping, got pedicures and just enjoyed spending some time together. We didn’t know it when we planned the trip, but it turns out we were in New Hampshire for part of Motorcycle Week – so we saw all sorts of interesting sites. I tried to convince Amy that she should go to one of the bike leather clothing shops and ask if they carried maternity chaps, but she passed on that one. Instead she posed for me under the Frankie’s Firearms sign – which was almost as funny. Take a look at the photos.

Back at the end of May, Aaron and I went to the beach for a relaxing weekend. It was very quiet. We felt like we had the whole beach to ourselves, which was not so bad. We spent the weekend reading, playing games and just enjoying being there. James and Chrissy came up for dinner one night while we were there and it was great to catch up with them. Click on the photo above to see the small album of photos we took over the weekend.

Our final port was in the city of Cádiz. We didn’t really see any of it, as we hopped on a bus early in the morning and drove out to see Seville, instead. We started our tour with a walk through the streets of Seville, past beautiful buildings and fountains. It felt very much like a European city. We stopped at the Catedral de Santa María de la Sede (Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See), which is also known as The Cathedral of Seville. We only got to see the outside as there was some special bishop meeting being held, but it was impressive nonetheless. Next we explored the Alcázares Reales de Sevilla (Royal Alcazars of Seville), a royal palace that was originally built in the 14th century as a Moorish fort. We wandered through the palace complex and explored the extensive gardens with their fountains and pavilions. We left the Alcázar and walked through the narrow streets of the old Jewish quarter. Our next stop was the Casa de Pilatos, a 16th century palace that combines Gothic, Moorish and Renaissance style architecture in its courtyards, fountains, gardens and salons. Our final stop in Seville was the Plaza de España, an expansive plaza edged with government buildings that contains a moat, bridges and fountains. It was beautiful and apparently has been used as a set for several movies. After a long day we headed back to the ship to start the journey home. It was a wonderful trip.

Next we sailed on to Casablanca, Morocco. We docked early in the morning at a fairly industrial port and loaded onto a bus to explore the city. Our first stop was an open market that had fresh produce, fish, flowers and meat. As early as it was, the market was alive and bustling with people and tourists alike. Next we drove onto the Hassan II Mosque which was quite an impressive site to see. The main prayer room is large enough for 25,000 worshipers. It is the largest mosque in all of Morocco (third largest in the world) and the minaret, which stands 689 feet tall, is the tallest minaret in the world. It felt very opulent and new, which was a stark contrast against the rest of Casablanca. After the mosque we drove around the city some more, stopped at a spice house that had more jars and vials in one room than I have ever seen. It was all very neatly arranged and went from floor to ceiling and the man running the shop reported to have herbal or spice cures for everything from dry skin to impotence. It was an entertaining presentation, but Becki and I both opted to leave empty handed. Our last stop was the Mahkama du Pacha, a parliamentary building that was built in the 1940s which houses both the courts of justice and reception rooms for state occasions. The carved cedar ceilings and chiseled stucco walls were remarkable. At the center of the building there was a beautiful courtyard with roses and fountains. We also managed to squeeze in some shopping and Becki bought a beautiful Moroccan carpet, which we carried home in a duffel bag.