The LUXury of living in Europe

Sometimes I forget how good we have it here.

Earlier this month, Edward and Stephanie came for a visit – ostensibly to see our little family here, but I suspected they were almost as excited that they were going to spend some time in Central Europe versus, let’s say, Central Texas.We had a lot of family moments that could have happened anywhere, such as this devilish secret Elizabeth is whispering to her pet raccoon, instructing him to bite her father as soon as he leaves the room.

Or this tender moment caught on celluloid of Edward engaging a sloppy act of mutual adoration. Canine camaraderie. Passionate puppy love. (Yes, Pecos is a mutt slut!)But what added to their trip, I think, were things like sampling a few good beers at a real German restaurant (the man behind them has no face!).Or spending sometime in beautiful places.In particular, Stephanie got to revisit a place (and a person) that was incredibly important to her and no doubt helped shape who she is. And Edward got to scratch two more countries off his list (Luxembourg and Belgium) and enjoy the beauty of Central Europe in the winter … beautiful small towns, lightly falling snow, quiet town squares with hauntingly illuminated baroque churches.
It’s not every day we can see the world – and our charmed lives here – through others’ eyes; after all, in April we hit year five of living in Europe and have kind of gotten used to the privilege of being here. But it’s wonderful when it happens.

So thank you for visiting, Edward and Stephanie. Not only was it great to see you two, catch up, and make some great memories together, but it was also wonderful to be reminded of how much of a gift it is to be here. Thanks for making that clear.

Oh, here's Dodger waiting her turn to have her stickers removed. Pecos just got his sticker-dectomy.