Reykjavik, Iceland

I would love to say the Reykjavik has always been our on bucket list or that it has been one of the top ten cities in the world that we have wanted to visit but truthfully it wasn't - we just happened to find an online deal that we couldn't pass up.  We were able to purchase a package deal that included airfare, four nights in a hotel, and breakfast. The icing on the cake was the fact that we could fly directly out of Orlando. Speaking of cake, we would be celebrating Darin's actual 50th birthday while we were in Iceland.

I knew the minute the airplane's cabin door closed that this trip was going to be something extra special. All the seats in the airplane were filled except for the seat next to us. We were able to stretch out and sleep overnight on our way to Iceland. Since we were scheduled to arrive in Reykjavik at 7:00 am, I contacted our hotel hoping for early check-in but was told that the hotel was filled to capacity. However, as we entered the Hotel Klettur, the front desk clerk said "Mrs. Morgan, I have good news for you."  Once again, I knew this trip was going to be exceptionally good.

While in Reykjavik, we visited Hallgrimskirkja Church where we were able to go the top of the tower and see a 360 degree view of the city.









We were able to participate in a free two hour walking tour of Reykjavik. Our tour guide, Marteinn Arteinn Briem, was a 25 year old history graduate of the University of Icland. Marteinn explained that prior to 2007 Iceland was a very expensive country to visit because of the high value of its currency. Due to Iceland's 2008-09 banking crisis, the country finally became affordable to foreign travelers. Iceland's tourism has exploded in the last few years; last year they welcomed over one million visitors. For the first time ever tourism brought in more revenue than commercial fishing.





After our walking tour we had just enough time to visit the Sun Voyager sculpture.



While visiting the sculpture, we got caught in our second rainstorm of the day.  Little did we know that our entire trip would consist of  drastic changes in the weather - from sun to rain to sleet to hail to snow to wind and back to sun all within minutes of each other. Since we didn't rent a car or use public transportation the weather made our walking very comical at times.

Next post - The Northern Lights

Solo and Ensemble

Last weekend Mackenzie participated in the annual FBA Solo & Ensemble District Festival. In this festival students (winds, percussion, dance and auxiliary) all prepare solos and small group numbers to perform for judges and receive ratings. The highest honor being a Superior rating followed by Excellent and Good. Mackenzie received an Superior rating!  This has qualified her to take her solo to the State level in March. This is such a testament to her hard work and dedication considering she never played a drum until she started high school.

17 Precious Years

Mackenzie celebrated her 17th birthday this weekend. She hosted a bonfire at our home on Friday night with 16 of her closest friends. We couldn't have asked for better weather. How much noise can 17 teenagers make on a lanai? A lot! I was sure a neighbor was going to complain but they didn't.  On Saturday night we had our family dinner at her favorite Thai restaurant followed by dessert at her favorite ice cream shoppe.



Happy Birthday, Mackenzie!

What's new with us?

Darin and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary back in August.  It was a low key midweek dinner out but it did start us on a trend. We now take time out of our busy schedules to meet for drinks and/or appetizers once a week without the kids.

In November the four of us had the honor of attending another Bat Mitzvah. The host teased us that as a family we do "clean up nicely."
 


Darin will be turning 50 in March and we have a unique celebration planned - more details to come.

What's new with Mackenzie?

Mackenzie's junior year homecoming quickly came and went. With a driver's license and her own car, she was able to purchase her dress with out my assistance this year. I must admit that she picked a winner.





As you have heard me say before, Mackenzie hangs with such a great group of kids.  They are already making plans for the Junior/Senior prom this Spring.



Mackenzie was inducted into National Honor Society in October.  What an accomplishment! Did you know that the minimum grade point average is a 3.9 and that it is just one of the criteria?  We are so proud of her.



Mackenzie just returned from a marching band trip to Chicago -more details to come.

What's new with Mason?

Mason turned 13 back in September.  He just completed a successful tackle football season with his team winning the senior division championship.



Mason was #81 and spent most of his time on the defensive line. Each game he wore bright colored socks so I could spot him easily on the line.



Darin was always there pacing on the sideline and offering advice whenever Mason asked for it.



Now that Mason is in 7th grade he has moved up to Intermediate band. One perk of being in the intermediate band is that you get to dress up for Halloween and perform at the school's Fall Festival.





No rest for the weary, Mason has already moved on to his next sport which is basketball-more details to come.

We're Back!

Sorry, it has been almost three months but we are finally back. Back of course from our Washington, DC trip and back to blogging.  Our second to last day in DC was spent visiting the Ford Theatre, Arlington Cemetery (to see the Changing of the Guard) and our last Smithsonian (the Air and Space Museum).

Mackenzie had some fun at the Lincoln Memorial recreating a picture of Michael Clifford from her favorite band 5 Seconds of Summer.



On our last day we were able to take Mackenzie on a quick college tour of Georgetown University.



After Georgetown, we decided to make one last stop at the National Art Gallery before it was time to head to the airport.  Just as soon as we exited the Metro, guess who drove by? Yep, President Obama. Talk about perfect timing!

Check out the video here

Overall it was a fantastic family vacation to DC.