Making Our Way Through the UK!

Walking along the River Thames and admiring the Tower Bridge.

The next stop on our adventure was the United Kingdom! We packed in as many sights and museums as our feet could handle. Though we came back to London multiple times we took the opportunity to explore as much of the out-of-the-way sites as we could. It was nice to see a bit of the UK that wasn't bustling with cars, double-decker buses, and a constantly rising skyline. London has lots to offer but for us it just felt a little too similar to what we are used to and didn't have much of the charm of the old picturesque European city we both had hoped for.

The Sheep Roam Freely in Dingle...

For the second half of our time in Ireland we decided to rent a car and see some of the beautiful countryside. We both were a bit nervous about the whole driving situation because not only do you drive on the other side of the road but you have to drive a manual with the opposite hand as well. Needless to say I left the driving up to Matt and happily played the role of navigator with a little help from "the lady" in the GPS. I did say a little prayer as well before we started. It gave me peace of mind... but it made Matt a little more worried. 

Even though the streets are incredibly narrow, there are sheep and crazy bicyclists to veer around, and you have to drive at least 60 mph almost all the time... we survived and I have to say we had fun too!

Welcome to Europe! First Stop...Dublin, Ireland!

We have done so much and yet it feels like we just arrived. After 3 weeks now in Europe we are in the heat of the big adventure!

It's hard to explain what it's like for me to travel - to put into words the sights, sounds, and smells of a place or even the people and how they look and speak or how their mannerisms illustrate their ingrained history. For me, traveling in Europe is all about how it feels to pass through the same door or walk on the same stone floors that others have also walked on for hundreds of years. You can just feel the stories, the history, surrounding you. Even though sleeping on a bunk in a hostel or taking an all-night bus ride might not be the most glamorous travel 
accommodations, it is all worth it when you step foot into the Trinity Library, or stare in wide-eyed wonder at the perfection within in the writing of the Book of Kells. It puts even the small everyday things into perspective!

The internet availability has been sketchy and the way that Matt packs our schedule makes for little to no time to update you all on the things we've seen and done so far. It truly has been an eye opening and amazing experience. I'll do my best to highlight and share with you my favorite parts as often as I can as we continue our journey!

Let the Adventure Begin...

Leaving the Portland Airport for Dublin.

The adventure started this morning bright and early at 4am. In 19 hours we will arrive in Dublin, Ireland! Let the fun begin....

At Home with the Habjans! PART1

This last week we spent some time with Matt's family in Lebanon, Oregon. I thought life was good...but what I've learned over this last week is that it's even better when you're riding a tractor! I may have been raised in the city, love foreign cultures, and live to travel but I was born to be a country girl!

Feeding apples to Lauson the goat.

While riding out in the pasture I have come to the realization that there is something right about how the grass smells and the fields glisten.There is something special about how you will be riding along alone and the sun rays will warm you while the cool breeze makes it feel so comfortably natural. In the distance you can hear the sounds of the birds or sheep and it's like they are telling you from a distance this is where you are supposed to be. For me, being out in the Habjan pasture riding around on my father-in-law's tractor just took all of life's worries away. But I will get more into my new found love for tractors in Part 2 about our weekend at the Antique Powerland Steam Up.

Fun Times With the Flanerys!

Ellie kind of likes Portland and her new best Friend, James Brown....most of the time.

Dad enjoying a double cone of Fresh Strawberry and
Blueberry Marzipan ice cream at Ruby Jewel.

It sure does feel good to be home!

Truckin' in Baby Loaf Bus at the Tillamook Cheese Factory.
Tillamook, OR

It's amazing how green and small everything feels when you've been living in a big open desert for the last 4 years. We are happy to be back where you can always be surrounded by real trees! The first week back in the Northwest we spent with my folks in Milwaukie, Oregon. It was an eventful week that included building a new chain link fence for my folks (to keep Ellie from escaping the backyard), unpacking all of our stuff out of the U-Haul and then repacking it into my basement bedroom, eating lots of homemade pulled pork sandwiches, enjoying a few scoops of ice cream at our favorite Portland ice cream place Ruby Jewel, riding rides at the Pacific Seafood Company Picnic at Oaks Amusement Park (skating included) and, best of all, a day trip the Oregon Coast. It has been so long since both Matt or I have seen the ocean that it was a much needed and anticipated reward after two long event filled weeks. 

So Long New Mexico...

Ellie was a little nervous about the whole packing thing
and all too happy when we took her out of the box.

Making our way on our own Oregon Trail!  

After quitting our jobs and a week of solid packing, we loaded up everything we own into one small U-Haul and 2 cars. Matt was a little worried about everything fitting but with his tetris packing skills we had little to no problem. The ride home on the other hand was another story. 

The first day we thought we would take a different way home and drive by Monument Valley since it would be something new to see for all of us. We read up on it via their web site, thought it would only add a few extra hours to our trip, and we'd be able to drive the loop around the monuments and then be on our way.
Once we got there we found out this so called loop wasn't the nice paved ones we're so used too. This was a serious off-road, 4-wheel drive needed, kind of trail. Ok...no big deal, we've got a Subaru we can do it. So, we transferred a few things from the Subaru to the U-Haul, packed the 2 of us, Dad, and the dog into my car and were on our way. About 100 feet down this dusty almost vertical road my dad said, "do you hear that grinding sound?" Lo and behold my back brakes are shot...I mean metal on metal shot. So, here we are out in the middle of nowhere, it's 100+ degrees outside and about 5 o'clock. Now what?