Adventure in Morocco

Everyone said we were crazy. Heck, we thought we were crazy for attempting to pack an Arabian adventure into 6 days over spring break. But we did it. And oh my goodness, was it worth it.
First of all, we were so blessed to have Brandon's brother Zac and his family as our hosts. Morocco is a country I would be intimidated to visit alone! (For example, the driving is insane!!)

The (other) Sawyer fam took us to all of their favorite places and gave us new cultural experiences every day.
We spent the first two nights in Marrakech, a more touristy place that exudes old world exotic beauty. We stayed in a gorgeous resort, which was a wonderful retreat after 30+ hours of travel! Our first adventure was driving up into the mountains above Marrakech where Bran and Zac had an awesome and scenic mountain bike ride. Hill and I played with the kids in the most amazing playground I have ever seen!

Then that night we braved the biggest adventure of the trip—exploring Marrakech’s medina in pouring rain on a crowded Friday night. I will never forget that experience of stimulation overload…snake charmers, men putting monkeys in the kids’ faces, tables of teeth, stand after stand of delectable nuts and fruits, store owners beckoning us in Arabic/French/English, mopeds flying all around us…and the beautiful, crazy scene after nightfall. It was so surreal I felt like I had been transported into a movie!

The rest of our trip we spent back at Zac and Hill’s home in Casablanca. We got to experience the Moroccan French culture with Sunday brunch at a fabulous French café…We toured the third largest mosque in the world—simply breathtaking…We visited “Mr. Sawyer” and Malakai’s school…The girls got henna done…

Hill and I had a very different but none-the-less relaxing experience at a Turkish bath (no pictures here!)…

We did more shopping at the haboos (yay for super cheap poufs!!)…and we got to eat at the luxurious gas station restaurant that Z & H have been raving about! Did I mention that the food in Morocco is amazing?? Flavorful chicken with fruits, nuts, and olives, savory breads, the creamiest yogurt you have ever tasted, and sweet mint tea as an after-meal treat! (Soren couldn’t get enough of the tea.) Oh yeah, and an international adventure isn’t complete unless you eat something that sounds disgusting…In Casablanca’s haboos, the specialty food item is camel! I promise, it actually tasted really good:-)

But of course, the highlight of our trip was getting to spend quality time with our dear family and experience their unique life in North Africa. The cousins had an absolute blast with each other, which was such a delight to watch. We love you, Zac, Hill, Malakai and Kiki, and we are so thankful for your open hearts and home!!

Time to laugh

This morning my heart's prayer is for perspective. It seems that each Sunday I get in a funk...Church brings up emotions that have been hiding all week, Bran and I argue about stupid stuff and then try to analyze our marriage, and then I get stressed looking at the week ahead. On our walk yesterday, it just kind of hit me how serious we take ourselves. That has always been our virtue to a fault--we try to stay healthy, go deep, and analyze everything--to the point where we can't just enjoy the moment and laugh at ourselves. That is exactly what I want to do right now--laugh. Laugh at our feeble attempts to protect ourselves from the inevitable pain of big life changes. Laugh at the silly things we stress about, when really, there is nothing that should concern us. Laugh at my expectations for a perfect life in Arizona when I've only lived here 6 months! Laugh at the way Bran and I hone in on the tiny bumps in our marriage instead of rejoicing in the wonderful family we have created. Because really, life is good. We get to just be students for 3 years...soaking in exciting knowledge, being in stimulating academic environments, advancing our careers...all while enjoying a quiet family life in the desert. This season of life is a gift. And I want to laugh at myself as I constantly miss what's right in front of me.

True friends

Friendship--the truest kind--is life-giving. That is what we experienced last weekend on our visit to San Diego. Coming home to true friends...where our hearts were free to relax, laugh, stay still, and just be. A weekend experiencing everything that makes us happy...amazing food...the beach...our favorite city...and true friends. And what topped it all off was watching Soren's heart run free too. He was in absolute heaven all weekend playing with his best friends as well. Thank you--Aaron, Christine, Zeke, Drew, Janz, Damien, Kevin, Sonya, Emerson and Quinny--for giving us new life to continue on our difficult journey in Phoenix. It was so nice to be home for a weekend!*The really good photos on this post come from Kevin at go.do.photography*

10 years

10 years ago last Wednesday, Brandon and I started our relationship. February 9, 2011 came and went as a fun "dating anniversary", a perhaps more subdued one due to our lack of finances, time constraints, and logistics of getting a babysitter. Don't get me wrong, we did have fun. Ever since we moved here we've been hearing about how Phoenix is hiding the country's best pizza...so we decided to wait in line (a two-hour wait minimum) and find out. Pizzeria Bianco was truly a treat. We were pleasantly surprised to find that they own a wonderfully cozy wine bar next door in a quaint, old Craftsman-style home. Two hours goes fast when you are snuggled in the corner of this charming house with a glass of delicious wine and your honey by your side. When we finally did make it into the pizzeria we were met with a tiny, brick-covered room lit by a large fire-roasting oven. The pizza was fabulous. And what made it so great was the simplicity of it all. A thin, very fresh crust with a thin layer of fresh tomato sauce, a smattering of authentic mozzarella cheese, and a few large leaves of from-the-garden basil. Nothing about the flavors hit you right away and made you exclaim "Wow!". But it was good, so simply good, as if you had never really tasted pizza before and this was what pizza was supposed to taste like.
Okay, so I'm not normally a food blogger, and it may seem that I've gotten off track. But here's what I realized after an anticlimactic celebration of our 10 years together: The pizza is like our relationship. Most of the time there's no wow factor, no magical romance, no skipping heartbeats. The way we fell in love was slow, subtle, and with careful thought and trepidation. But our relationship is good, so good. We are best friends, partners in life, parents, and lovers. We admire each other, respect each other, help each other, understand each other. With Brandon my heart is at home. With Brandon I am most free to be me. In our purest moments I sense that we are experiencing God's heart for marriage.So here's to 10 more years of diving into the beautiful subtleties of life with Brandon.