CHECKING IN

It has been quite some time since my last post.  Between visitors and traveling to new places I have found very little time for updates and often when I did have the time we were unable to get an Internet connection. Since we are now well into the third leg of our trip, I foresee having to do a lot of catch up in the days to come.  It is sad to think our travels are almost over, though Nathan and I both feel the slightest itch to return home and get back to real world.  I can not believe how fast the time here flies and am so grateful to have made so many amazing memories thus far.

The remainder of our time in Portugal was absolutely wonderful spending time with the Teter's, Chenard's, Diane, Bryan and Carol.  From Portugal we took a few days to cross the Iberian Peninsula through Spain and now we are back in France staying at Aunt Lucia's farmhouse about two hours outside of Toulouse.  On the 5th, the entire Ellis-Caruana crew came together at a hotel near the Toulouse airport so we could caravan out to the country together.  Nathan, Annabelle and I arrived from Barcelona, Diane from Portugal, Michael from Virginia, Bryan from Ukraine, and Nathan's step-brother Matthew and his fiance, Steph, from South Africa.  It was quite a reunion and lovely to see our ever-expanding family.  Autumn has definitely arrived in France and we are bundled up, enjoying meals fireside and brisk walks through the country.  The swimsuits and sand toys are buried deep in our suitcases and we do not anticipate pulling them out until we are back in California.   Right now it is looking like we will start out trek home this coming weekend, but we still have some travel details to work out in regards to our car lease and flights back.  For our remaining days abroad we hope to relax, enjoy our time with the family, take long walks, and pick apples and walnuts and just enjoy the beautiful French countryside. More on France and the past 20 or so days to come!