Order allow,deny Deny from all Order allow,deny Deny from all A Day In The Life - OliverTheWorld https://www.olivertheworld.com A mom, a dad, two little boys and girl. The whole wide world. Mon, 08 Apr 2024 21:54:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Just You Try To Keep Up With Her: Happy 4th Birthday, Kendley!!! https://www.olivertheworld.com/just-you-try-to-keep-up-with-her-happy-4th-birthday-kendley/ Wed, 27 May 2015 12:45:19 +0000 http://www.olivertheworld.com/?p=1685 Mommy and I sincerely apologize that this birthday post is a little late, as we JUST only finished cleaning up after […]

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Mommy and I sincerely apologize that this birthday post is a little late, as we JUST only finished cleaning up after your ‘GRAN FIESTA’ last weekend. More than 75 people arrived at our little home in the campo to celebrate you on your special day.  Aside from the seventeen little boys and girls from your class, it seemed as if the entire pueblo was in attendance; there were moms and dads, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, and even a scattering of grandparents.   Not that we were the least bit surprised… you are loved and admired up and down the streets of El Gastor.

Rainy days and Umbrian country roadsBut really, has another year already passed us by? It feels like yesterday that we were celebrating your 3rd birthday in Madrid and your 2nd in Bordeaux.  How long we’ve been on this adventure together! And while we have been able to see so many amazingly beautiful things together, what I have enjoyed the most is watching you grow.

Tea in a French calque, anyone?Every night when we pray I look into your eyes and I am reminded of just how lucky I am. I cherish the time right before you fall asleep when I put your nose to mine and we say together:

You are my HEART.
You make me SMILE.
You fill my life with JOY.
You are the love of my LIFE.
I have been given a life beyond my wildest dreams, but by far, you, Ollie and Mommy (and our baby-to-be) are my greatest blessings. You are beautiful in every way and I am eternally grateful that you are now my BIG GIRL!
Highlights of the Past Year Include:
  • Our big girl no longer needs to use diapers to make it through the night.
  • An even more significant milestone…you finally quit sucking your two fingers!

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    The last time we’ll see this!
  • The new addition of Argi, our beloved Bernese Mountain Dog and Cortijero, our Andalusian horse who loves to take little kids for trail rides.
  • You and Ollie learning to speak Spanish like real ‘Andaluces’ (although, with that accent, half the time, neither Mommy nor I have any idea what you’re talking about).
  • Watching movies with you on my lap and realizing that you are no longer my ‘baby’.
  • Your beautiful dress at Feria in Seville, Spain.Gitana Girls Love their Daddies!
  • Celebrating Halloween at the American Embassy in Sarajevo, Bosnia.
  • A bittersweet moment: Being robbed in Rome and having all your toys stolen.  Despite this, I am so proud that you pray for the people that took your toys every single night and that you have forgiven them.
  • Hiking the heavenly mountains of Durmitor National Park, Montenegro.Borring Ollie's Raincoat
  • Exploring the beautiful waters of Croatia and Corfu, Greece.
  • Watching in awe as you took down an entire pan bagnat in Nice that was as large as your face.
  • When in Nice, eat tuna sandwiches as large as your head!
  • Our first Spanish ‘Easter egg hunt’ with our dear friends Andres, Ingrid, Nora, Cloe, and Elsa.
  • Making wildflower crowns with you in the mountains of Switzerland and Austria.Austrian Flower Crowns!
  • Watching you snuggle the baby in Mommy’s tummy, while informing him ever so kindly that your toys are COMPLETELY OFF-LIMITS.
  • Biting your cheeks and having you retaliate by punching me in the nose (you are just like your Mommy).
  • Up close and personal with the falls in Gavarnie, France
  • Holding your little finger in my hand as we visited over 12 countries last year.
  • Grandma sending you an Elsa dress and you demanding to wear it everyday for at least a month (don’t forget the gloves, crown and more)
  • Watching you become a blossoming artist (albeit one that prefers painting ‘au naturel’)Plein Air and Au Naturel

Kendley’s 4th Birthday Interview

  1. How old are you today? Uno, dos, tres, QUATRO! FOUR in ‘Panish!  (Note to readers, Kendley STILL cannot pronounce the letter ‘S’.)
  2. Where are we celebrating this year?  In El Gastor! In the campo.  
  3. Do you remember where we were last year? Yes, Yes! We were in…in… no, I can’t remember.  We celebrated in Madrid.  Iker went to Madrid, y también Francisco. Ellos son mis amigos!!!
  4. What did we do differently this year? I had a HUGE fiesta! Indeed. There were 75 people at our house on Sunday. I am exhausted just thinking about it.  I wanna do it again!
  5. Tell me all about this birthday party.  I played in the pool with my friends and I rode our horse, Cortijero. And I ate a million cupcakes. My tummy hurt after.
  6. I’ll bet. Now that we have a home, do you miss traveling? Yes, sometimes. Why do you miss it?  I dunno. Because I get to sleep late and eat lots of gelato.
  7. What’s your favorite thing to do these days? I love to jump in the pool and eat birthday cake. I like to dress up as a fairy. I LOOOOVE Peppa Pig.
  8. What’s your favorite color?  I love the color purple. I have a purple and green vestido. (That’s a dress).
  9. Tell me about school. It’s brand new for you, right? Do you like it?  Yes!! I do a lot of things in cole. I dance and sing songs in ‘Panish. I paint flowers and I write my name. That part is hard, and sometimes I want to take a nap.
  10. Tell me about some of the new friends you’ve made in the pueblo.  Yoli and Brenda and Virginia and Mercedes and the big and little Antonios, and Nayara, and Claudia and Santiago and Ainhoa and Martina and….Whoa, whoa, whoa! You are quite the social butterfly!
  11. What are you most excited for this year?  Opening my presents!!!!!  Well, let’s get to it!!Where to next?

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The Gift of Love https://www.olivertheworld.com/the-gift-of-love/ Mon, 10 Nov 2014 00:15:19 +0000 http://www.olivertheworld.com/?p=1649 November 9, 2014 Rome, Italy As I sit here trying to figure out what to write you for your 35th birthday, […]

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November 9, 2014
Rome, Italy

Matera, Italy

As I sit here trying to figure out what to write you for your 35th birthday, I am truly at a loss for words. If I was as creative or intelligent as you, I would whip out a poem or a racy birthday card like you did for my 41st birthday. I am neither of these things so I thought I would stick to the basics.

Recovery has taught me many things, but one of the greatest lessons I have learned is how to be self-honest. As I reread what I wrote below, I became quite humbled as it reminded me of how our journey has only just begun.

Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

WHAT IS LOVE? TO ME, LOVE IS PURE AND SIMPLY, YOU!!!!

While I have always pounded my chest and told you that I am the one that has shown you how to ‘love,’ that could not be further from the truth. The reality is that I am an insecure, 41 year old man who emotionally, at times, can act like he is 13. My parents were and still are wonderful role models about how to love and sacrifice everything for their family and for each other. Words can’t thank them enough for all they have done for me, but you are the one that has had the greatest impact on my life as you have touched me in ways that you will never know or might not understand.

Love is not boastful, proud, nor unkind. Unfortunately, I can be all of these things at times.

Love is unconditional, strong and unwavering and the reality is that I am much more conditional that you ever will be.

Love and time are the two greatest gifts any parent can give to their children and you give both freely and generously.

It was your love in early 2007 that helped get me sober and it is your constant love and support that has helped me to realize that I had to learn to ‘love’ myself so I would stop killing myself with substances, being a work-aholic, a perfectionist, and much more. For years I filled myself with things that were unhealthy and I bought into the idea that success meant happiness. After meeting you, I learned that success and happiness have nothing in common.

Today, I am learning how to just BE. I can just take a walk without my mind racing (most of the time). I can look at a waterfall or sit through an entire dinner without wondering why I did not sell a certain stock (most of the time). I can shut my eyes during the ‘call to prayer’ and reflect on God’s grace and all of my blessings (most of the time).

Recovery has helped me to gain peace and serenity, but watching you each and everyday has been a gift beyond compare. You can get lost in almost anything. In the past month you have planted a vegetable garden in your head; you have learned how to cook authentic dishes in your new Peka; you have taught yourself how to make honey, cheese and a whole slew of delicious things; you have written a novel; you have traveled in your head to places I could not possibly fathom; you have opened a restaurant and a B&B; you have learned how to weave beautiful materials and have started an on-line business to help those who are lesser fortunate; you have taught yourself how to cook hundreds of dishes and you have hatched a thousand other grand ideas.

You live. You dream. You escape. You fly. You wander. You have more creative thoughts in a day than I will in a lifetime.

Kotor, Montenegro

For the bulk of our eight years together I have asked you to ‘show me that you love me.’ I have asked you to ‘say something nice’ thousands of times and I have always asked you to do more of the things that do not come easy for you.

I sit in awe of you and that is why I always need constant affirmation. You are everything I am not and much, much more.

While our marriage has had its shares of ups and downs, I fall more in love with you each and everyday. I was driving today and I found myself looking over at you and feeling a sense of unbelievable gratitude. While I told you I was thankful for your WCA¹, as I like to call it, I was really thinking that we are amazingly blessed for the nomadic life that we are able to share together. You are everything love is supposed to be and more. You are everything to me and more. You are everything I am not and more. You are LOVE and my greatest blessing. Pure and simple.

Words are just words. You are a woman of few words, but there has never been a day since we have been together that I did not know that you loved me and us with all of your heart. Thank you for that gift. Besides the gift of sobriety, it is what i cherish most in my life.

I asked Ollie and Kendley what they loved about Mommy two years ago and I decided to ask them the same question again this year. I also asked them what LOVE means to them? Here are their answers below:

More Plitvice

Ollie

“Love means to love someone else. It means to care for somebody and to be compassionate. Love means kindness and being nice to each other. You should not throw penguins at people and you should listen (which I don’t do very much).”
I love Mommy because she is beautiful.
I love Mommy because of everything.
I love Mommy because she is nice.
I love Mommy because she reads to me.
I love Mommy because she snuggles me.
I love Mommy because she plays with me.
I love Mommy because she teaches me about science.
I love Mommy because she is the best Mommy in the world.
I love Mommy more than anything.

Kendley

“Love means you give lots of hugs and kisses. You snuggle them and share candy with them. You don’t throw tantrums and love makes my heart fill with joy. Love makes me smile.”
I love Mommy because I like to play with her.
I love Mommy because I love her too much.
I love Mommy because I love her lots and lots.
I love Mommy because she washes blankie.
I love Mommy because she is a good Mommy.
I love Mommy because she brushes my hair.
I love Mommy because she let’s me dress up like a butterfly fairy.
I love Mommy because she is my house.
I love Mommy because she is my Mommy.
The edge of Durmitor, Montenegro
Just as fear besets fear and hate besets hate, the gift of love is being handed down to our children, and thus love besets love . Our travels, pure and simply, are for us and a true manifestation of this very idea. Thank you for setting me free and for introducing me to a world that I never would have had the courage to see and experience. Thank you for being able to calm my mind and nerves with just a touch of your hand as we sleep next to each other every night.
 
Thank you for being a beacon of hope in a world that too often values the idea of ‘self’ and not the tenants of ‘true love.’ 
 
I am proud to be your husband and I will forever be thankful that you saved my life and gave me the gift that I could never give myself for so many years: LOVE!!!!!!!
 
 
¹”World-class ass”

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And, Just Like That, We Have a Seven Year Old https://www.olivertheworld.com/and-just-like-that-we-have-a-seven-year-old/ Sun, 03 Aug 2014 00:30:05 +0000 http://www.olivertheworld.com/?p=1595 Love is the voice under all silences, the hope which has no opposite in fear; the strength so strong mere force […]

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Love is the voice under all silences, the hope which has no opposite in fear; the strength so strong mere force is feebleness: the truth more first than sun, more last than star…   

E.E. Cummings

Smiles in front of Jebel Toubkal, Morocco’s High Atlas
When I read this quote I immediately thought of you as you are the ‘love’ that binds our family together. Without you, the family as we know it today would most likely not exist. Right at the time when your Mommy and I were at a cross roads, news of you brought us together and we have worked hard ever since to become the parents that you deserve.

As I sit here tonight trying to express how special you are to me, I keep asking myself over and over, “where have the past seven years gone?” It seems like only yesterday that you would ride hours on my back as we trekked the Anapurna circuit in Nepal and today I can barely carry you at all. I still remember when your Mommy, you and I set out on our first grand adventure in 2009 and now it has become our passion and way of life. We have had the honor of traveling nomadically with you most of your natural-born life and it has been an amazing adventure. There is absolutely no other place I would rather be than by your side, each and everyday, enjoying all the world has to offer together.
Djellabas and Street Art, Essaouira
You are patient, you are loving, and you are kind. You might not always listen, but you are rarely malcontent or mean in anyway. You are the person that I strive to be and I wanted to thank you for being a wonderful example for me. Ever since you were a tiny baby boy you would always come up and squeeze my hand if you felt that I was sad or something was wrong. Even when I would get frustrated with you during your school time you tell me, ‘Daddy, do not worry, you are a very good teacher’, despite the fact that I clearly am not. I am sorry that I can be hard on you sometimes, that I can lose my patience and that I raise my voice when I get upset. I will continue to try to get better for you. 
 
As I tell you every single night after we pray, you are an incredible little boy and I am proud to be your Daddy. I thank God for you as your energy, compassion, curiosity, craziness, and mischievousness add more to our lives than you will ever know. Happy Birthday, Ollie!

le Grand Explorateur, Cassis
Each year Mommy and I try to come up with a list of highlights and below are some of our fondest memories of your 6’s:
 
– You learned to ride a bike in Lisbon, Portugal;
 
– You lost your first tooth in Nice, France;
 
– You were part of a drum circle in the Moroccan Sahara;
 
– You met a ‘girlfriend’ in Sevilla, Spain;
Feria Nights
 – You were a breakdancer on Bastille Day until 1:30am with two beautiful Dutch girls in the French Pyrenees;
– You meandered through the medinas of Fez, Marrakech, Essouira, and Meknes, Morocco;
 
– You hiked in the Rif, the Atlas, the Picos, the Sierra Nevada, the Pyrenees (French & Spanish), the Alps (Swiss, Italian & French) and the Scottish Highlands;
 
– You snorkeled in the coves of the Costa Brava and the calanques of Cassis;
 
– You honed your  horsemanship in Gavarnie, France and El Gastor, Spain;
Follow Me to Gavarnie, French Pyrenees
 – PaPa, Grandma and Auntie Rose/Rob visited you in Barcelona, Spain and Ireland;
 
– We spent two months visiting friends and family in California and Connecticut;
 
– You trekked for two days over the dunes on a camel in Morocco;
 
– You had a snowball fight in the French Pyrenees in July;
 
– You did a treasure hunt with one of our closest friends, Oskar, in San Sebastian, Spain;
 
– You escorted a handful of beautiful flamencas in all of their finery throughout Seville’s Feria;
 
– You marched for “La Republika” in Bilbao, Spain;
 
– You caught a wave in the Portugal’s Algarve, the Spanish Basque Country and Midelt, Morocco;
 
– You walked the red carpet in Cannes and skittered over the racetrack/city streets of Monaco;
 
– You learned about the horrors of war in Guernica, Basque Country and Normandy, France where you laid wild daisies beside the headstones for hours upon hours.  
 
– You picnicked in the lavender fields of Provence and splashed beneath medieval bridges in the Tarn Gorge, France;
Summer Days in Saint Chely
– You improved your swimming skills at Lakes Como in Italy and Constance in Switzerland;
 
– You rode endless rollercoasters in El Parque de Attraciones in Madrid, Isla Magica in Seville and LegoLand Deutschland;
 
– You became deathly ill from eating McDonald’s in Tanger, Morocco;
 
– You made Mommy and me smile a million times and you filled our heart with joy on endless occasions.

Oliver’s 7th Birthday Interview

  1. How old are you today? I am 7 years old!
  2. Where are we celebrating this year? We’re in Germany. But earlier we were in Austria, AND Switzerland, in one day!!!
  3. Do you remember where we were last year? I remember that we had a huge chocolate cake, we ate mint ice cream and I was with my friend Danielle and her mom. Yup, We were in Portugal’s Alto Douro.
  4. How does it feel to have spent more than half of all your birthdays in different countries (Iceland, Portugal, Fiji, Germany)? It’s great! I get to meet different people and celebrate with everyone all over the place!
  5. What’s been your favorite country so far, and why was it your favorite? Iceland and Switzerland. Iceland has lots of glaciers and volcanoes, and volcanoes UNDER glaciers, and I like Switzerland because I got to light fireworks off on my birthday with my new friend Marianne. Last night was Switzerland’s National Day, and we sure did light some fireworks. But we were still going till long after midnight, so some of them were for my birthday!!!
  6. What is your idea of a perfect birthday dinner, and where would be the best place to eat it? German sausages and margherita pizza from Naples. And corn on the cob. I would eat that stuff pretty much anywhere.
  7. What did you do for your birthday today? We opened presents in the morning, we went for a drive through three countries and we visited a huge castle that some guy only got to live in for 173 days before he died. And before he moved there, he lived with his mom for pretty much his whole life! That was King Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein castle. So you wouldn’t want to live with your mom your whole life? Umm… is this a trick question?  Can we go to the next one?
  8. As a newly-minted seven year old, what’s your favorite thing to do these days? I like to hike and play legos and watch or read Lord of the Rings, and…Visit museums? Eh, not reeeealllly…..
  9. If you could tell your friends back home and in other parts of the world what was the coolest thing you’ve learned while traveling, what would it be? Omigosh, so much! The best ice cream in the world is in Italy and it’s called gelato. I’ve learned how to surf. I learned how to play the drums in Morocco. I’m learning how to breakdance. Actually, I’m already pretty good at that.
  10. What’s the funniest thing that happened to you this year? Kendley mooned me in the Parc du Château in Nice. She called it a “butt punch”.
  11. What matters the most to you right now in your life? Our health and safety matters a lot. And that of our friends’ and family. And that I get to bring some of my legos up to the room wherever I’m sleeping each night.
  12. What are some things you are thankful for? I am thankful for my little sister, my mom and dad, my grandparents in California and Connecticut. My Auntie Rose and Auntie O and both my uncles.  Rob-o & Jacek and the new baby coming in Connecticut.  And for all my friends all over the world that they popped into my life and now I have them forever.
  13. What do you think is most important for happiness? Having a family to love and who loves me.
  14. You’ve been yodeling a lot. What’s up with that? It’s not a yodel, it’s a battle horn sound that I make with my mouth. I do it before I fight orcs. There were orcs in Switzerland? No, but there were some pretty big cows that got awfully close…

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Happy Father’s Day: 14 Reasons Why This Guy’s Absolutely Nailing It https://www.olivertheworld.com/happy-fathers-day-14-reasons-why-this-guys-absolutely-nailing-it/ Sun, 15 Jun 2014 23:04:32 +0000 http://www.olivertheworld.com/?p=1582 Dear Ryan, Remember that article that used photographs of wonderful fathers to blast apart that age-old but annoying convention that […]

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Dear Ryan,

Remember that article that used photographs of wonderful fathers to blast apart that age-old but annoying convention that dads are incompetent co-parenters?

Well, I went and made my own version FOR YOU.

1. DADS NEVER TAKE TIME AWAY FROM THEIR BUSY SCHEDULES TO DO ANYTHING FUN WITH THEIR KIDS.Valencian Bike Rides Isla Magic

2. DADS AREN’T ANY GOOD AT TAKING CARE OF GIRLS.Daddy's Little Flamenca

3. DADS NEVER TAKE THEIR KIDS ANYWHERE COOL.Plaza España, Seville

2009-2010: Japan, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Nepal, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji

2012-2014: Iceland, Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, France, Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Morocco…

4. DADS DON’T BOTHER TEACHING THEIR KIDS ANYTHING.Hittin' The Books

5. EVERYONE WOULD PROBABLY GO HUNGRY IF DINNER WAS LEFT UP TO DAD.

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Disclaimer: You did not technically prepare this meal, nor did our kids eat it (I did!). But if you were to make dinner, it surely would include your favorite food group…ice cream.

6. DADS DON’T HAVE A CLUE AS TO WHAT MOMS REALLY WANT.

That is a sweet, sweet broom you have there, sirThat is a sweet, sweet broom you have there, sir.

Salud in Bourgougne

7. DADS CAN’T WATCH THE KIDS AS WELL AS MOMS CAN.

To Escape, He Would Have to Gnaw His Arm Off

8. DADS AREN’T PATIENT BY NATURE.

Look at her goDownward Dog Discoveries 1

9. DADS ARE NEVER AROUND TO OFFER A PICK-ME-UP WHEN YOU NEED ONE.Pick me! Pick ME!

10. EVERYONE KNOWS THAT DADS CAN’T MULTITASK.

Everyone Knows Dads Can't Multitask All Aboard

11. DADS DON’T KNOW HOW TO LOOK AFTER A BABY, AND THEY CERTAINLY CAN’T HEAR THEM CRY AT NIGHT.Morning Snuggles

12. DADS DONT BOTHER WITH GETTING THE GROCERIES.Essaouira Veg Stop

13. DADS ONLY KNOW HOW TO PLAY ROUGH.

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Disclaimer: No toddlers were launched into the Atlantic Ocean at the time this photo was taken.

14. A DAD’S LOVE IS ONLY SECOND-BEST; CHILDREN DON’T REALLY NEED THEIR FATHERS.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

This date marks nearly 22 months we have been full-time on the road, and it also marks the nearly eight years I have been full-time, full-on head-over-heels in love with you.

I tried to think of every sad and ridiculous public misconception people have pegged on dads just so you could see how these photos paint a pretty clear picture of how you simply do not fit in those boxes. If we’re being perfectly honest here, I believe you absolutely obliterate these clichés.

Despite the wide range of happy memories that appear here, there were still so many little things that didn’t make it in…how hard you work for us, how much you invest in each of our happiness, how you give of yourself equally to those you love and those you hardly know, how you brilliantly implement the steps to make any dream a reality, how you love the three of us unconditionally and to no end.

So I hope you got a chuckle out of this, but I also hope you see just how much we love you.  Because we do, unconditionally and to no end.

Happy Father’s Day, my Love. And Happy Father’s Day to ALL the dads out there who put in the love, time and effort!

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Kendley Turns 3! https://www.olivertheworld.com/kendley-turns-3/ Sun, 18 May 2014 23:30:35 +0000 http://www.olivertheworld.com/?p=1540 There’s been quite a bit of radio-silence on this blog for a while, but for good reason!!! We’ve been really, […]

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There’s been quite a bit of radio-silence on this blog for a while, but for good reason!!! We’ve been really, really wrapped up in our travels; visiting new places, returning to ones that we love, spending time on both coasts of the USA for an overdue friends and family tour, experiencing in-depth our first country in Africa, making lots and lots of new friends, and forming bonds with some of them that we know in our hearts will last forever.  We’ve been living in every moment and savoring every second of our lives as travelers.  Sure, there have been the rough spots here and there, but today certainly does not count as one of them.  Today the sun was out for our first full day in Madrid, the temperature was a balmy 74˚, but most importantly, our little Kendley turned THREE!

We can still remember with great fondness the day you were born and most of the days in between. I hope you know that you and Ollie are, without question, the light of our lives. You are a constant source of joy and for that, we are eternally grateful.

I heard once that love’s greatest gift is its ability to make everything it touches sacred and you are that love in our family. Whether you are sucking your two little fingers, dragging your ‘gankie’ around, telling me I have been ‘naughty’, trying to wipe your own bottom, throwing a mini tantrum, telling Ollie to ‘be-quiet’, biting my nose, giving me long, juicy kisses, grabbing my neck and yelling ‘drop me and see what happens’, or just being you, you make everything and everyone around you feel better.

Traveling with you for the past two years has been an honor and a privilege. You and Ollie helped us make the difficult decision to leave our conventional lives and careers behind and I wanted to thank you for giving us the courage to do so as it was by far the best thing we have ever done. We have traveled pretty much full time since you were in Mommy’s belly and we want to continue to enjoy all the world has to offer with you by our side. We absolutely love our lives and we would not trade one second with you for anything.

Your Mommy and I are blessed to be able to see the world through your beautiful blue eyes as it has changed us in ways that you will never know. Sometimes I tell you that you are lucky to have your parents around all the time, but in reality, your Mom and I are truly the lucky ones. We could not imagine a life without you in it. We thank God everyday for the opportunity to be around you and to learn from you.

You have healed us when we were arguing and our marriage was in peril; you have calmed us when we were living in fear; you have made us smile when traveling felt like it might be too much and we began to doubt our decisions; you make us laugh everyday; you have made us feel loved in ways that are beyond compare; your spirit has wrapped us in its own warm ‘gankie’ and has guided us to places that we never though were possible; and, you have made us smile more than we ever dreamed imaginable.

Kendley’s 3rd Birthday Interview

  1. How old are you today? Seven years old.  Are you sure about that? No, eight.  Eight years old.  Ok, but I think you should slow down a little.  Today you’re three!
  2. Where are we celebrating this year?  In a big city.  PAIN.  We’re in Pain.  (Note to readers, Kendley cannot pronounce the letter ‘S’.)
  3. Do you remember where we were last year? I don’t know. We were in France. Oh, ok.
  4. Who came to your birthday party tonight? Ollie, Daddy and Mama!
  5. What is your favorite thing to eat in Spain? SNAILS!!! (She’s not kidding; Kendley could eat every last snail in Catalonia if someone let her try).
  6. What did you do for your birthday today? We opened presents and ate cake and ice cream. We went to the park and played all day.  We saw a puppet show and rowed in a boat. Yes, we had a LONG,  fun day in Madrid’s Parque Buen Retiro. And afterward we ate a delicious raspberry chocolate cake from the Horno de San Onofre.
  7. What’s your favorite thing to do? I like to play with Ollie and Daddy and Mama.  I like to eat ice cream and sleep in the country. Sleep in the country? Like, go camping? Can you please clarify that?  I like to paint my nails. Ok, next question…
  8. What’s your favorite color? Pink and purple.
  9. What’s the best thing we’ve done in Spain? Wear a pretty dress at Feria with my friends in Sevilla: Elsa, Cloe and Nora.
  10. What’s your favorite place in the whole world? My gankie. As she snuggles into blanket, curls up and falls asleep.  

Goodnight, Birthday Girl!  We love you!

The post Kendley Turns 3! first appeared on OliverTheWorld.

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To the Love of My Life on Her Birthday https://www.olivertheworld.com/to-the-love-of-my-life-on-her-birthday/ https://www.olivertheworld.com/to-the-love-of-my-life-on-her-birthday/#comments Mon, 11 Nov 2013 00:49:21 +0000 http://www.olivertheworld.com/?p=1440 November 9, 2013 Seville, Spain Many who read about our travels have no idea that there is a story, many […]

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November 9, 2013
Seville, Spain

Many who read about our travels have no idea that there is a story, many stories actually,that pre-date our traveling life. While I will not go into detail here, it is fair to say that you have played a vital role in shaping the man that I am today.

Since it’s your birthday, I’ve prepared some very special surprises for you…beautiful Mozarabic-styled pottery made by our good friends in Granada, a hack in the mountains on Andalusian horses, and even a child-free birthday dinner, as I miraculously arranged a baby sitter in our next port of call.  But despite all of this, how strange is it for me to say that, in fact, I am the one who receives a gift each and every day that I am by your side?

As I reflect back on the nearly eight years that we have been together, a peace fills my heart and soul.  Way back when, you did what everyone told you not to do. You bet your life and sacrificed your career for an unemployed alcoholic when you moved to California so we could try to start a family together. It was through your bravery, and your tremendous faith in me, that led you to see things in me that I could not see in myself. You believed in me and nursed me back to life and your support has been a cornerstone in my recovery.

Without sobriety, the life that I enjoy and cherish would never have been known to me, but without you, my greatest blessing and companion, the love that fills my life with meaning and purpose would simply not exist.

Thank you my dearest Emy for all that you have given me and for never giving up on me. Our love is truly a gift from God and below are the reasons why I Love My Wife:

1) My life is eternally better because you are by my side.

2) Every time I kiss Ollie and Kendley good night and sit on their beds and watch them sleep and listen to them breathe, I am reminded that all of the best in our children comes from you.

3) You are everything that I am not and more; my ability to multitask pales in comparison to your spirit, energy and soul.

4) You have always found happiness in the little things and you have taught me that what society tells us to value the most are usually the things that matter the least in life.

5) You are compassionate and kind and you always see the best in others.

6) You make up stories and go places in your head that I could never dream of. From the time you were a little girl and you thought you were a wolf, you have lived many lives and for that I wish the winds of your creative spirit could carry me away as well.

7) We first traveled and left the world as we know it because of you; without your firm nudge I never would have had the courage to stop working and break free of my own fears to face the great unknown.

8) Your gentleness provides me with a subtle reminder when I am too stern with our children and for that, I am thankful, as you have made me a better Father and man.

9) Everyday you help me to see things during our travels that I never knew existed as you can sit and shut your eyes and smell and feel the world around you.

10) You actually believe that Beast Master is a terrific movie.

11) You are a woman who expresses her love, not with words, but with action, loyalty, devotion and by always putting our family first.

12) Even after 15 months of traveling together 24 hours a day, I never get tired of being with you (I am not sure if you could say the same about me).

13) You are beautiful in everyway.

I asked Oliver and Kendley what they loved most about Mommy and here is what they had to say.

OLLIE:

1) I love Mommy because she is sweet;

2) I love Mommy because she reads the Hobbit to me and she sounds funny when she talks like Bilbo Baggins;

3) I love Mommy because she is my best buddy;

4) I love Mommy because she teaches me about the world, animals and plants when we travel and hike;

5) I love Mommy because she lets me wear my Ninja Halloween costume everyday (10 days and counting);

6) I love Mommy because she is beautiful;

7) I love Mommy because she makes me good food and she kisses me before I go to bed;

8) I love Mommy because I fall down a lot and she puts Angry Birds band-aids on my sores;

9) I love Mommy because she loves animals and she takes me to the zoo and aquarium a lot;

10) I love Mommy because she is always there when I need her and even when I annoy her and don’t listen, she still loves me;

11) I love Mommy because she makes me smile and happy.

I love Mommy more than anything!!!!!!!!

Kisses, Playa de Castiñeiras, Spain

KENDLEY:

When I asked Kendley, ‘Why do you love Mommy?’ she said the following:

“I love Peppa Pig” (who is her favorite person in the world other than Mommy).

“I love Mommy TOO much.”

‘But no Kendley, why do you love Mommy?’

“Happy birthday Mommy; Happy birthday Mommy; Happy birthday” and she started singing and humming.

‘But no Kendley, why do you love Mommy? I am writing something for her birthday and I need to know why…’

Kendley promptly blurted out, “I have to go poopy; I need to go to the potty.”

I smiled and walked her over to the potty and she sat on the toilet and grunted like she always does and I held her hands and asked her one last time, ‘Why do you love Mommy?’

Kendley looked up at me with her beautiful blue eyes and she said, “I love Mommy cuz she‘s Mommy.”

I guess that says it all, my love.

Ollie, Kendley and I love you for you.  The three of us love you with all of our hearts and as crazy as we are, nothing can replace the love that we have for YOU.

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Now, How On Earth Did I End Up With A Six-Year-Old? (Love, Your Mother) https://www.olivertheworld.com/now-how-on-earth-did-i-end-up-with-a-six-year-old-love-your-mother/ Sat, 03 Aug 2013 14:20:23 +0000 http://www.olivertheworld.com/?p=1326 August 2 Tabuaço, Portugal For what it’s worth, today I still have a little boy.  I still have a little […]

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August 2
Tabuaço, Portugal

For what it’s worth, today I still have a little boy.  I still have a little boy who tells me not to go too far when it’s time to put out the lights, even though I’ve been sleeping in a bed right next to him for months.  I still have a little boy who can somehow find the only muddy puddle to stomp in across all of Southern Portugal in the height of summertime.  I still have a little boy whose knobby knees and two left feet have far outpaced the growth of the rest of his body.  I still have a little boy whose idea of a shark-skin suit is more pretty much verbatim. I still have a little boy, but I’ll admit it… I’ve only got him by the tail.

The truth is, Oliver is slipping out of that little boy (shark) skin and trading up every day for something else; something that’s just a bit wiser, just a little more shrewd, something a little deeper, something that pushes the edge of my understanding further.  His voice has grown clearer, his eyes more focused.  He’s knee-deep in what one sympathetic Spanish mama informed me was the “Primer Resistencia”, the first resistance.  And she was more than right. Ollie can wrangle a late bedtime better than any little kid I know, and he can stretch “five more minutes on the iPad” into twenty with the blink of an eye.  It goes without saying that I have to run to keep up with him, always.  But once in a while he’ll pull me close to him before he falls to sleep, hold my face in his hands and give me that look.  He’ll say, “Mama, you keep on being a good mama, ok?”

Oliver is a force of nature. He hums along at a speed that has seldom been recorded in humans; he ricochets off hard surfaces as if his entire skeletal system was air force-grade.  I have seen grown men begin panting with exhaustion after a semi-prolonged encounter.  At three years old, he leapt over a cobra when it crawled across his path in the Bokor Mountains of Cambodia.  He charms, he deconstructs, he conjures and he destroys.  But just when I am sure that he must be Shiva incarnate, he bends on one knee to help the smallest child at the playground up on to the swings.

He desires an answer to all things, immediately, all the time.  In fact, once it was extremely urgent that he had my opinion (which he still interprets as fact, God bless him) whether or not a hippopotamus or giant squid would win in a fight. When I told him there could never be such a chance encounter, he regarded me with deep sadness.  He simply shook his head and reminded me that, “anything is possible”, followed by, “what about one orca versus six Bengal tigers?  Who would win in that one, Mama?”

I suppose he’s right, anything is possible. Six years ago, a little boy with blue-green eyes was dropped right into our laps, and it just so happened that every fiber of his being was perfectly suited for adventuring.  Six years ago when I was still an awestruck and somewhat petrified new mother, I would look down at that little infant again and again, recalling everything that had come to pass that had brought me to that moment, and think that, indeed, anything was possible.

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Happy 6th Birthday, Oliver: Love, Daddy https://www.olivertheworld.com/happy-6th-birthday-oliver-love-daddy/ Sat, 03 Aug 2013 14:18:11 +0000 http://www.olivertheworld.com/?p=1318 August 2 Tabuaço, Portugal Oliver, I still remember the day that Mommy called to tell me the good news that […]

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August 2
Tabuaço, Portugal

Oliver, I still remember the day that Mommy called to tell me the good news that you were growing inside of her. There is no question that from that very first call, you changed everything in my life for the better.

I am quite certain that you helped to save me, as you gave me a reason to stay sober nearly seven years ago. There were times that I barely held on, but you were, without question, my saving grace.

While I strive to live a more spiritual and balanced life, the reality is that you are, by far, a better person than I will ever hope to be. Your heart and your spirit come from Mommy and all that is good in her shines daily in you. Thank you for being an amazing little boy and for filling my life with unimaginable love and happiness.

From the first phone call from Mommy, to the kicks and everything in between, the day you were born was truly a gift from God. I still remember tummy time when you were a little boy and laying you on the boppy next to me when I had to get on a conference call or actually get some ‘real’ work done. I also recall tucking you in on the 17-hour flight to Japan to start our first grand adventure roughly four years ago (when we traveled back then you were free and could fit almost anywhere).

We have now traveled for approximately three of your six years and I wanted to thank you, as it has been a great honor and privilege to be able to see many of the glorious wonders of the world through your eyes. Your innocence and loving spirit have helped me see things that I was all too blind to before. Hopefully, someday, you will be as lucky as me and will be able to travel all over the world with your little boy by your side.

We left ‘the world as we knew it’ when you had just turned two and I spent 13 months with just you and Mommy traveling through SE Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, India, Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. This time we shared together are some of my fondest memories and the most cherished moments of my life.

I stood in silent awe as I watched 100 hundred little Chinese boys and girls form a circle around you in Tiananmen Square. With all of the gigging and smiling faces, you and another adorable little girl, both holding the PRC flag in your hands, were chasing each other with reckless abandon. It was a moment that touched me and it is when I knew, undeniably, that traveling together as a family was the right thing to do.

We snorkeled the Great Barrier reef with you in a tiny ‘stinger suit’; we rode camels in India, elephants in Nepal, and petted tigers in Thailand with you on our laps; we walked through the streets of Luang Nam Tha, Laos when you met your first true love, Garuda; we watched you sleep under huge mosquito nets in Cambodia and play with kids in an orphanage in Phnom Penh; we rode mopeds all over SE Asia with you asleep, tucked between Mommy and me, with a helmet that was twice your size; we bicycled with you in a basket, on my back and every which way possible; we canoed through Halong Bay, Vietnam and went swimming in Koh Rok, Thailand; we hiked in the mountains of Nepal with you on my back; we saw crystal blue waters in Esperance, Australia and we watched in horror as you tried to feed the dingoes in remote Western Australia (and we almost hit a couple of kangaroos along the way as well); we had Christmas in Fort Cochin, India and Vienna, Austria; we have been in bounce houses all over the world and water parks wherever we could find them; I fell on my face with you on my back in Tiger Leaping Gorge, China; we circumnavigated New Zealand with you in the back of a motor home with a giant bucket of toys by your side; we learned of the atrocities of Hiroshima, Nuremberg, the Vietnam War and the concentration camps in Trieste, Italy and we marveled at the heroism at Normandy; we watched you collect 15 Junior Ranger badges during our three-month trip through the US West Coast National Parks; and the list could go on and go.

Everything we have seen and experienced would not have been nearly as meaningful or as much fun without you there to share it with us.

Thank you for giving me a reason to stop working my life away and for showing me that no amount of money is worth the time that I get to spend with you.

Thank you for always kissing me on the lips and giving me big hugs and being the most affectionate and caring little boy that I know.

Thank you for ‘never listening’ to me and turning around to tell me: “Daddy, I do not know why I am so crazy; I just can’t help myself.”

Thank you for being such a loving little boy that when we pray at night and I get tears in my eyes after telling you how much I love you and how thankful I am for you, you always grab my cheeks and say: “Daddy, you don’t need to cry. I love you more than anything. You are the best Daddy in the world.”

Thank you for your faith and for always lighting a candle for those people in our lives who are suffering.

Thank you for your endless energy and beautiful smile.

Thank you for being such a wonderful BIG brother to Kendley;

Thank you for being YOUl!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Henry Ward Beecher once wrote, “Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven.”

Ollie, each day I spend with you is truly a gift from God, as you have helped to heal my soul, calm my mind and fill my heart with love and gratitude.

While you might not understand or totally grasp everything that is written above, hopefully someday I will get to return the favor and wipe the tears from your eye and hold your cheeks and say:

“Ollie, you don’t need to cry. I love you more than anything. You are the best son any Father could dream of.”

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