End of an Era for Ella

 

In our church, kids start Primary at Age 3 and continue through Age 11.  All year, they learn cute little Primary songs and at the end of the year (usually in Oct/Nov), they put on a Primary Program where all the kids sing the songs they've learned all year and most of them have a little talk or speaking part.  It's always the best Sunday of the year!  And for the past 14 years, we've had kids in the program.  For three years, we had 4 kids in the program!  But one by one, they started again out until there was just Ella.  And now that she's 11, this past year was her final primary program and our family's final primary program.  Sigh.... 

Sing, Ella, sing! ♪♪

She also gave a great little talk about how Jesus loves the children and how she can show her love for Him too.

Also, this week, she sang in her Halloween-themed school choir concert.

National Fall Lax Festival

 

Riley's team underwent some major changes last summer during tryouts.  They have an entire new coaching staff and about 20% of the team changed as well.

This past Saturday was an all day lax tournament and their first time playing in official games/competition as a new team!  They lost their first game by 1 point and tied their next two games.  Of course they were hoping to end the day 3-0, but it was good to see that with all these changes, they are hanging in there and staying tight and competitive with top-level, nationally ranked teams.

Some action shots of my Riley Jane - Go #34!

Fun to see her and her team back out on the field and looking forward to another big tournament in just 2 weeks!

Venice

 

On our final day, we drove to Venice, parked our car, and hopped on a boat to take us into the city.

And then we wandered all over and crossed as many bridges as possible!

I love Europe in the Fall.  Great weather and no crowds!

St. Mark's Square.

This is our inside joke at every trip.  Dave bought him and Seth matching "What a difference a DAVE makes" t-shirts and they pick one day of every trip to wear their matching shirts as a joke.  In Rome, Seth forgot to bring his shirt, so we did this hilarious pano where Cari shot Dave in his shirt, then Seth grapped it from Dave and switched into it and ran to the other side by the time Cari's camera got there.  We were all in hysterics.  Well..... Seth forgot it again on this trip, so we did a Rome re-enactment and did the same thing here in St. Marks!

Cari starting the pano with Seth standing by.

Seth grabbing the shirt and changing while running to the other side.

Seth in place and posing by the time Cari's camera reached him.  So funny!

At the top of St. Mark's cathedral.

And Dave and I looking down into the square.  

Venetian gondolas

I love all the colors and textures and water and greenery and boats and bridges all in one shot... and everywhere you look!

A few last memories together of an unforgettably awesome week.  Shortly after this picture, we all hugged and said our goodbyes before parting ways.  Since the Boles and Cardalls had earlier flights out the following morning, they chose to stay right next to the airport.  Since we had a later flight, we decided to stay in Venice.

Rialto Bridge

Venice looks good on you, Dave.

This was Dave's first time to Venice..... and he absolutely loved it.

I've been here once before, but it was 25 years ago with two college roommates.  It was so come back with Dave!

And for our one night in Venice, Dave surprised me by booking a room at the Gritti, the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at in my life.

We were greeted with a bowl of fruit, chilled wine and a welcome note along with a dozen fresh roses.

Frette sheets and linens, and windows that overlook the Grand Canal. In the evening, gondoliers went by singing to their passengers.  Such a nice background soundtrack to the room.

Frette bathrobes and slippers at turndown service.

Our 20th anniversary isn't for another 8 months, but I think this counts as our celebration!

A book in the lobby can be paged through to see all the celebrities and dignitaries who have stayed here over the years including Margaret Thatcher, Tom Cruise, Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood and so many more!

This palace (turned hotel) dates back to 1475 when the Pisani family lived here.  In 1575, the Doge of Venice, Andrea Gritti lived here and it retains its name from him, although many noble families have lived here over the following centuries.

The next morning, we hopped on a boat from the hotel, which took us to the airport.

Goodbye Gritti.  Goodbye, Venice.

And here we are at the airport.  The first time I took a boat to the airport!

All settled in and ready to get back to our babies!

Lake Bled

 

Looking back, I guess I had several "favorite days" on this trip because our itinerary was so awesome - equal parts adventurous and scenic and touristy and off-the-beaten path.  But this was definitely one of those "favorite days!"

See that castle on top of the mountain to the right?

Well, we climbed to the the top of it and here is the view from the top!

I mean...... does it get any more beautiful than this??

The ladies 

Me in my happy place..... traveling the world with people I love. 

We climbed back down and walked around the whole lake.

And then we decided to hop in a row boat and make our way out to that island!

Here we go!

Sheralyn and I in the back. 

Crazy cousin-in-laws

"Parking" our boat

And exploring the little island.  It's tradition to go to the top of this church and ring the bell to make a wish.

Then, we made our way back, kept walking around the island and took the chair lift up to the top of the mountain on the other side of the lake, so that we could alpine slide down!

There he goes!

Last, but not least, we helped ourselves to some famous Bled cake - it was delicious!

From there, we made our way to Vintgar Gorge.

This is a mile-long hike along the River Radovna.

We had a bit of a debacle getting back to our car..... it was a long hike back to where we started and then the shuttle never came to pick us up to take us back to the parking lot.  So, we eventually gave up on waiting and started the looooong walk to our car.  Thankfully, a private shuttle passed by, so we flagged him down.  He took pity on us and offered to drive us to our car for 10 euros.  Sold!  He saved the day! And it made for some laughs and a good story once all was said and done.

And that's a wrap on another amazing day filled with fun and surrounded by beauty!