Happy Halloween!

Liam was lucky enough to attend two Halloween parties, one at school and one at the Embassy.  For school, Liam dressed up as a Raven football player.  The teachers set up a dance party and the kids had a lot of fun with that.

After lunch, I brought Liam home for a quick nap before the Embassy party started at 3:45.  Liam normally naps from 2-5, so I knew I was taking a risk waking him up early.  He is a lot like his Mama in that proper rest is SUPER IMPORTANT for good moods.  That being said, I did not anticipate the resistance to the Yoda costume I received.  He kept saying, "No Yoda!  No Yoda!" while I was getting him dressed.  He refused the green face paint and promptly threw himself on the floor for what I think was his first true temper tantrum.  I was ready to throw in the towel and not go to the party when I finally convinced Liam to look in the mirror.  He quickly warmed up to Yoda after that.

 No Yoda!

 Wait, is that what I look like?  Not bad!

May the force be with you!

The Embassy party was nice.  They had carnival-like games set-up: Go Fishing, pumpkin bowling, a cake walk etc.  They also had "trunk or treating" where Embassy employees decorated the trunks of their cars while the kids walked down the sidewalk, trick-or-treating at each stop.  It was cute to see, and while Liam didn't seem quite sure of things for a while, he eventually caught on and enjoyed himself.  Winning a cupcake in the cake walk sure helped!

Cameras were not allowed in the Embassy, but they did have a photographer taking pictures.  When I get access to those, I will post, but remembering how long it took for the fun run photos, it could be Christmas before I get to share Halloween party photos with you.  Our love to all!

Finally got to meet her in person

Geoff's been working quite a lot this past week.  Now I know why.  Secretary of State Clinton paid us a little visit today.  She gave a quick speech to the Embassy staff and their family members before shaking hands.  I got to stand right down front for the speech.  It was really quite good.  She drew parallels between NYC/Hurricane Sandy and Bosnia.  She said (and I paraphrase) that millions of people from all walks of life work, live, vote, and come together in times of crisis without regard to creed or ethnicity.  That is the U.S.'s hope for Bosnia.  It got me all fired up about wanting to make a positive difference during my short time here...so volunteerism here I come.  I always meant to do that, but now I have no excuse!

Anyway, after the speech, she greeted people, and I got to shake her hand and tell her, "Hello!  Thank you for coming."  It was really a neat experience, and I am glad I got to be a part of it.

Madam Secretary with Ambassador Moon

First snow

It's just a slushy mess, but it is still our first snow.  And it's not even November yet!  I wonder what this winter has in store for us?  Goodness!  At least Bella doesn't mind it too much.

Columbus Day jaunt

On Monday, we took advantage of Geoff having a day off and Liam's school being open to trek to one of the most isolated villages in Bosnia: Lukomir.  Lukomir is a small village of nomadic shepherds located in the mountains to the south of the city.  Our friends, Anna and Josh, drove us out to the village on what turned out to be a gorgeous fall day.  We hiked around a bit, took some great photos, and then took advantage of true hospitality with some of the locals (see pics).

We learned a lot while we were there:  this village has only had electricity since 2002, it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in all of Europe, and the entire population moves down from the mountains during the snowiest winter months because they would be cut-off from supplies if they did not!  It is truly amazing to me that such a lifestyle can exist in this day and age.

The entrance to the village

The community fountain is on the left.

 Traditional stone housing

 One gorgeous view

 A local man at work

 Sheep on a hill

 Another gorgeous view

 Anna (with just-purchased handmade woolen socks on her hands) and me

It was cool and windy.

 The village from above

 Early Christian markers

Perhaps from Crusade times?

 One enterprising local has opened a bar of sorts

The bar-owner let us try some harvested berries (rosehips?) they use to make tea.  

They were furry. 

 The sweet locals

 Geoff's National Geographic shot

This lady was a good hugger!

 A shepherd and his sheep

Some older Muslim gravestones

Lake Bled, Slovenia

Since Mom was flying out of Munich, we decided to make a long weekend out of the road trip to get her to the airport.  The drive took a good 14 hours total, so we decided to break-up our trip in Slovenia. Slovenia is a former Yugoslavic country that is now a member of the EU.  It is beautiful, clean, and really has its act together.  We were very impressed the minute we crossed the border.  We can only hope that Bosnia will one day get its political act together as there is similar potential.

We stayed at Lake Bled, a beautiful glacial lake nestled in the Julian Alps.  The weather was cooler than our previous trip to Dubrovnik, but it was gorgeous nonetheless.  Fall was definitely in the air.  We enjoyed a walk around the lake, feeding the ducks and swans, and taking in the sights.  We will return and hike to the castle and take a boat to the island!  There just wasn't enough time to do everything this go around!

 Bled Castle

 No motorized boats allowed on Lake Bled

 A view of Bled Castle and a lovely church

 Walking around the lake

 Feeding the swans and ducks

 Ouch!

 Crazy swan!

 The only natural island in Slovenia

A cool fishing set-up

A boat ride

For our last morning in Dubrovnik, we elected to take a boat ride.  Luckily for us, eastern Europeans tend to sleep in, so we had the 9 a.m. boat all to ourselves.  Our captain spoke excellent English (as is the case with many people here) and proved to be a good historian and tour guide as he took us around the city and the island of Lokrum.   He was also generous enough to let Liam steer for a bit, which made Liam's day.  All in all, our trip to Dubrovnik was heavenly.  It is truly a wonderfully gorgeous place.

More Dubrovnik

On Friday, we awoke to gorgeous weather.  The sun brought the city and the water to life!  It was beautiful, and we took full advantage by taking a walking tour of the city's walls.  Liam loved the fort aspect of it--cannons, enclaves, and lookouts, and Geoff got some amazing shots again.  

 Morning views from our deck--the city, and some big, fancy boats!

 Taking a little break on some stairs

 Geoff's first shot from the wall--the giant fountain.

 My boys playing

 The sun was very bright.

 A cannon!

 Taking in the sights of the Adriatic

 The city from above

Once back down from the wall, Geoff took an up close shot of one of the giant fountain's spouts.  Pretty cool!