My sweet older sister Emily had her baby while I was away at camp. I was sad to miss being a part of her happiness on the actual day, but so happy that all went well. This is Emily and Ryan’s first baby. I can’t tell you how excited I am to see her in three weeks and get a camera on her!!

AND…did I mention that my eldest sister Sara also had a beautiful baby girl (Chloe Ruth) just a month ago? This is number six for her, but only her second girl. I’m anxiously planning a trip out to see her and the rest of her chillins.

AND if that wasn’t enough happiness in one month, my little sister Laura just got home from her mission in Switzerland and Germany.

My cup runneth over!

I came home to an avid bike rider. We took Isaac to pick out a bike and helmet right before I left. I was literally biting my fist when we allowed him to choose which helmet and bike he wanted. Why must they all be so blasted bright and hideous?

How hilarious is he in the last picture? He posed like this and asked me to take a picture.

I’m off to Girls Camp for the week. Geoff will be Mr. Mom and I must say I’m not a bit worried. Though I wish I wasn’t leaving my kids so soon after being gone, I know they’ll be just fine, and I am excited to spend time with the girls who I am over at church. I plan on returning filthy dirt and happy. See you soon!

We got to Austria after a very long plane ride, which involved me eating a fair amount of plane food, which I subsequently threw up in the taxi from the airport to our hotel. Thank goodness for the headrest that I bought because it came in a bag!

We were exhausted when we got to our hotel because of the time difference. We took a short nap and then I attempted to make myself presentable by straight-ironing my hair. I quickly learned that the electric conversion is not the same. TOTALLY burnt my hair. It was really depressing since I’ve been trying to grow it out. Guess I’m getting a haircut.

We decided to be true tourists and bought a two day Hop-On Hop-Off Bus ticket and went to all the major sites around the city for the next two days. I was happy we did so because we were able to see so much.

And for the true reason of our trip: Geoff’s presentation at the Technical University went well. This was the first time I’ve actually been able to attend one, so it was a proud moment for me.

Here’s just a few sites that we saw, I don’t want to overload you too much!

We got a good chuckle out of this sign.

This image is purely to tell you of the rampage that went on at 3 of the 4 H&M’s the we went to (all located within walking distance of eacthother!). In true Leah style, I pretty much only bought clothes for the kids.

Me sitting on one of the old preserved streets in Vienna. It is used in a lot of movies we were told.

And this was a very common site, Geoff looking at a map at the metro stations.

Looking from the palace to the Gloriette.

Looking back at the palace.

Beautiful. And did you know they call paint this color, Schönbrunn Yellow?

Waiting at the beautiful Staatsoper.

Did you ever know how much I love a good market. I mean really love it? It drives me NUTS that we don’t have any good ones here. Fresh everything. I was in heaven here at the Vienna Naschmarket.

Geoff and I devoured the kebabs in Vienna. We ate them all the time on our last trip to France and we so excited to see them again. Delic!

FYI, if you are thinking of doing a similar trip as us, RENT A CAR! The train ride was about 16 hours long, more than double what it would have been to drive. We didn’t know though and had bought Eurail Passes before we left so we were stuck.

This is my friend Nina, and her little sister. You may remember Nina from this post. You might also remember that she is from Slovenia. Well, we tried to arrange a time to meet up on our way through Slovenia, but it wasn’t looking good. Then, around 10pm, on the Slovenian and Croatian border, this girl came into our cabin on the train asking if I was Leah Wright. Turns out Nina’s little sister just happened to be on the same train as us and called Nina for a ride home. Nina told her to walk through the train and look for us, just in case it happened to be the same train, at the same time, at the same location. Well it was! I jumped out at the next stop and we gave eachother a huge hug. Both her and her sister were so sweet and we were both so flabbergasted that we managed to meet up! Not only was I very excited, but very sweaty as you can see from the sick picture, but it’s the only one I have.

I am still so shocked that it all worked out as it did and I finally got to meet Nina.

We were thrilled to finally make it to Split. We got their early in the morning and while booking a room in a house, met a couple from Sweden. We ended up spending the next 2.5 day with them, and you would have though we’d been friends for ages. We absolutely loved their company and hope we will remain friends with them for a very long time. Unfortunately, the only picture we got someone to take of all of us was blurry. Boo.

We were only there briefly, but did got to the market and to Diocletian’s Palace which truly blew my mind. I had no idea such a thing would be in Croatia!

“Diocletian’s Palace is a building in Split in Croatia that was built by the emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD. Diocletian built the massive palace for his retirement after abdicating on May 1, 305 AD. It lies in a bay on the south side of a short peninsula running out from the Dalmatian coast. This palace is today, with all the most important historical buildings, in the centre of the city of Split. Diocletian’s Palace far transcends local importance because of its degree of preservation. The Palace is one of the most famous and complete architectural and cultural features on the Croatian Adriatic coast, and holds an outstanding place in Mediterranean, European and world heritage.”

Yep, this is how they weigh produce at the markets. Wow.

Hvar was an hour ferry ride from Split. It was GORGEOUS! Probably my most favorite location we went to. We stayed on the lower level of a house with our Swedish friends and got eaten alive by mosquitoes at night since we had to leave the windows open because there was no air conditioning. We were just a short walk from the beach front and spent a lot of time swimming in the water, gawking at massive boats and their ritzy occupants, eating tons of ice cream, hiking, and soaking in that delicious Mediterranean sun.

The beautiful old square where everyone hangs out, and we made-out.