South African Coastal Cruisin

We loaded in the car to cruise along the coastline down to Cape Point. (see lime green route on below map)

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The day wasn't lacking in beautiful shoreline.  Too many beautiful photos to just pick one.

Our day also included hanging with seals.




And scouting penguins in Simon's Town.

Hiking to the lighthouse on Cape Point, the southern most point of the Cape Peninsula.

Visiting the Cape of Good Hope.

Meeting the welcoming committee.

And more breathtaking sunsets to finish another great day.

Cape Town

We returned from South Africa on Sunday, but it took some time for us the conquer the laundry mountain and sort through the bazillion photos we snapped during the trip.

Final conclusion on our South Africa trip: 
Stop whatever you are doing now and purchase a plane ticket to South Africa.  You will thank me later.  We loved every minute in South Africa and are already wanting to return.


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We spend the first part of our trip in Cape Town.

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Our first stop was to Table Mountain.  The top of the mountain is flat and gives a great view of the city.  

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There are cable cars which run to the top of the mountain, but Jonathon and I got antsy waiting in the line and decided to hike.  We should have investigated first, because we were blind sighted by the steep incline.

After 60 minutes on mother nature's stairmaster, we found these lovely people at the top and enjoyed some amazing views.

(Note: It really wasn't that cold.  It was just windy and we got pretty sweaty during our stair adventure.  Okay, maybe we are slight wusses.)

Hydration was in order after all that exercise.  Wine tasting?  Yes please.

The view from our flat didn't hurt either.  It never got old looking out the window and seeing this:





More South Africa adventures to come.

Four Holmes in Motion

We have some exciting visitors:

We made Jonathon's parents really work for the true Doha experience.  We climbed some sand dunes.

And after we worked so hard getting to the top, we ran down.

Now the four of us are headed to South Africa for a wild adventure.  I will be sure to post lots of pictures when we are back.

Happy birthday Kaleigh.  I am so glad that we rode in the same backseat eight years ago.

Outdoor Adventures

The weather is getting cooler (big smiles), so we ventured outside!  The sun touched my skin and I didn't shrivel up.  We had a fun filled weekend on the boat and at the Inland Sea.  Remember when we first went to the Inland Sea? (check out our first trip here)

Getting to the Inland Sea required some dune bashing.

Happy birthday Sarah!  I know this will be the beginning to a marvelous and exciting year.

Happy birthday Chris/Dad.  We are excited to celebrate with you soon.

Happy birthday Dale/Dad. To honor you, I will dress up as a superhero who saves fuzzy friends with a butterfly net.

Oktoberfest

Greetings from Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. 

Nine years ago, I did an exchange program and lived with a host family near Munich for a month.  We were able to meet up with my amazing host student, Christina.  We look the same nine years later and nobody better say otherwise.  (I was a little excited.  When I'm this excited then I cannot be expected to smile without squinting.)

Words cannot do this trip justice, so I will let the photos speak for themselves.

We are sending extra love to our families.  We think of you all constantly.

Party Animals.com

Sorry for being absent friends.  We have been busy having fun.  We are now in the Doha party scene.  I'm thinking about changing the website address to party_animals.com.

On Friday we experienced the Qatar water park for the first time.  It was epic.  We got nice and pruney relaxing in the lazy river and the slides had no lines!  You read that correctly, no lines people.  Heavenly.  The only obstacle between us and the amazing slides were about 100 stairs.  But the stairs were worth the fun, although my glutes are still burning. 















(One of those arms is mine and one is Jonathon's.  I don't have one hairy arm.)

Today is our anniversary.  Happy anniversary to us!  We started celebrating early and enjoyed cirque du soleil last night.  Neither of us had seen a show before and were pleasantly surprised.  I wish I had a trampoline, incredible arm strength, and didn't get dizzy.

With 48 months of marriage under the belt, we have learned that laundry doesn't wash itself and trash doesn't walk to the curb.  We have learned not to sweat the little things, but that some days the little things make all the difference.  It doesn't matter what you say if you say it in the wrong tone.  Fights can quickly escalate and communication is powerful.  We have learned that dreaming together surpassing dreaming alone. 

We have so much more to learn.  We have no clue what we are doing, but may we continue to be stronger as a team than as individuals. 

Happy birthday Aunt Gracie.  Party extra for us.

And We Ate

We shawarmaed this week, and we shawarmed hard.  Don't look it up, just true me.  Shawarmed is (not) a word.

We have friends moving in a month, so we are embarking on a serious mission.  They must show us all their favorite restaurants in Doha with limited time.  We must eat delicious meal after delicious meal.  We have accepted this task with honor.

We are still not skilled consumers of Arabic food.  This confession saddens me, but I cannot tell the difference between Turkish, Armenian, Lebanese, and/or Gulf food.  In 11 months, all I have observed is that the hummus has a different consistency.  The only solution is to eat it ALL.

Jonathon discovered a Mexican buffet and we counted down the hours on Tuesday until our bellies were full of beans, tacos, and scrumptious guacamole.  When we get to Houston, no fajitas will be safe.  Not only did the restaurant have endless chips and salsa, it was super classy and the decor made us feel right at home.  One of us was more excited to take an awkward photo than the other.

Happy birthday Nancy!  We hope you have an amazing birthday full of smiles.  

Happy birthday to a outstanding guy and my ace brother.  Nate, I am very proud to have you as my brother.  We will be rejoicing in your honor.