“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” -African Proverb

After a tearful good-bye to my sister and her family at 3 in the morning, we all packed into Brian’s parents’ vehicle and headed to the airport.  It was a chilly night and everyone was tired and sleepy, but very excited too.  Susan said a few times, “Mommy, we’re actually doing this!”

Lucy saying good bye to Grandma

We arrived at the airport, said our good-byes to Grandma and Grandpa, and checked our luggage in.  At the gate, we had a little over an hour to wait for our 6AM flight.  The children immediately unpacked the only toys they were allowed to bring.  The girls started designing and creating a fashion show with their Harumika.  The boys lost themselves playing lego together, as Brian and I watched all of them contentedly.  It is such a joy for us to watch our children play together, enjoying a friendship with a brother or a sister as a playmate.

Our travel day consisted of boarding three airplanes: from Edmonton to Toronto, Toronto to Montreal, and then Montreal to Malaga, Spain.  In total, it was an easy going 18 hours of travelling.  The children were content to play with their toys, watch a movie on the plane, read, draw, and sleep.  I still marvel at how well our kids travel at this age.  They are incredibly adaptable, and because of their size, can enjoy a comfortable sleep on the plane.  Fortunately the plane was only 1/3 full, so there was ample room to stretch out.

 We arrived at the Malaga Airport at around 8 in the morning, all very jet lagged, and ready to rest our heads in our rented apartment for a few hours.  As we drove down the coast in our little rental van, catching a glimpse of the gorgeous Mediterranean sea, everything felt surreal.  After actively planning this journey of a lifetime for 2 years, smelling the fragrance of the refreshing sea air and seeing the lush landscape with flowering trees and citrus fruits,  it felt almost like a dream. 

We are trying to treasure this time away together, and trying our best not to rush through with too many plans to see everything (as Brian says I have a tendency to do).  We are writing this blog for our family, friends, and friends we haven’t met yet.  Especially for our children, to chronicle our wonderful family adventures together and inspire them to one day do something out-of-the-ordinary with their lives and families.  We are living proof that dreams are not put on hold because you have  children.  Brian always says that it was because of our children that he worked so hard to accomplish our goals.  We believe deeply that children don’t hold us back from our dreams, but instead enrich and inspire us to dream and accomplish even more. 

So here is to life, family, travel, and living the dream!  Our journey begins!

Written by Jenn

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