Home: LV, SoCal, NorCal, Tahoe

We are finally home. On 13 July we took off from Aviano Air Base, Italy, on the rotator, a contracted civilian plane that flies military members across the ocean twice every week. We were on the same plane as Megan, Griffin, and Yorba, but not Greg or Verna, as they were bumped and flew commercial. I remember keeping my foot on the tarmac for an extra second before climbing up the jetway stairs. We took off to the east then turned to the west before heading north to Germany. As we climbed I looked down and recognized Budoia/Dardago, Polcenigo, and then spotted our intersection on Mountain Highway. From there I was able to spot our house and yard, which I pointed out to Ashley. And then it hit me, hard. I went to the lavatory and cried like a baby. We were no longer the Italian Merbacks.

We flew to Ramstein, Germany first and then to Baltimore, where we met up with Greg and said goodbye to the Trifilos. We stayed in a dump motel in Baltimore near the airport then woke up early the next morning and flew to Chicago and Vegas. It was surreal to see my parents' Suburban pull up at McCarran Airport. Vegas is still as hot and ugly as I remember it, but that day was as perfect as could be. We had great conversation with my parents and ate a boat-load of salad with Rosie's homemade ranch dressing. Ashley and I then took a five-hour nap and were woken up by our five Las Vegas nephews, including Fiver whom I had never met before! He takes some warming up, but we were good buds by the end of the two-week vacation.

We had a fish barbecue and swam in my parents' pool, the perfect Vegas evening. The next morning was actually somewhat pleasant temperature-wise, so Ashley and I went for a run to Jaycee Park. I took her past K.O. Knudsen, my old Junior High, and pointed out some landmarks from my youth ("That was the class where I got appendicitis!"). We then loaded up in the new Suburban and drove to Rob's house in Temecula, stopping along the way at the old In'N'Out in Hesperia, the same one at which we used to eat on the way to Scout Camp.

'Merica! Berkeley, Brandon's niece, is holding Jade, one of the three nieces I had never met. Jennie was at a conference in SoCal and we were taking Jade to her before she had a stroke.

Now that's a mouthful. I ate two Double Doubles animal style, fries animal style, and a chocolate shake. Talk about a calorie bomb!

'Merica!

We arrived at Rob's and the twins were sleeping, so we waited patiently for them to wake up while we played with Will. The twins were likewise slow to warm up after their nap, but once they did they were unbearably cute. We went to Mexican food that night and had a great time talking, seeing Jennie, and eating Thrifty ice cream.

The next morning we woke up early again and drove along the coast to Newport, where we finally got to see our kids again after over three weeks. They were staying with Papa and Gaga in the same hotel with everyone else who was there for McCall's wedding. It was so great seeing all of the people in the CA Pettey's family and extended family. We went to the temple to see them come out, swam in the hotel pool, met an Italian family there, and then got ready for the reception.

Juliet with Sophie, Chelsea's little girl. It is like Ashley and Chelsea all over again.

With the bride and groom, McCall and Sean. McCall specifically came and found us twice to thank us for making it back for the reception. Such a great kid, now a married woman! Sean is the "Seminary Surfer", which I found out while talking to one of his surfer buddies. The church made a video about him because he stopped practicing with his surfing team when the time interfered with early morning Seminary. Thankfully his coach made some arrangements for him to continue with the team.

Dancing with Juliet. She thought the music was too loud.

This is a bad picture, but you can see McCall and Sean getting down in the middle of the dance floor and Georgie's curly mop. Most of the females on the dance floor were blonde, but I think Georgie was the only authentic one!

Dancin' with Isaac.

Georgie with a friend she made during the weekend, one of McCall's friend's kids.

The next morning we packed up and headed to Santa Barbara, where we met up with the Crandalls and Steve Edstrom. Kate was in St. Louis with the girls, but don't worry, we would catch up with her later. We got a dude to take a picture of all of us together, but apparently he didn't hit the shutter button on Ben's phone. Dirp.

We picked right back up where we left off, like we were never apart! I was once again the Jessica whisperer, calming her when no one else could. We ate lunch on the beach while the kids played in the sand at our feet. I never wanted the lunch to end.

She loves me yeah, yeah, yeah!

Ben is one of those friends you feel fortunate to have come across. He is such an authentic guy and will always call it like he sees it, but at the same time is super friendly and most people love him to death. I am almost ten years older than him, but it feels more like a peer relationship than an older brother-younger brother one.

Luca with Juliet, who is not his true love (that would be Brennan), but still good company.

Isaac and Georgie with Jessica, AKA JJ.

I had to take this picture because this is PCH heading south along the beach in Santa Barbara. 15 years ago we had woken up on an early August morning at Carpinteria Beach, gotten on our bicycles, and ridden on this road for 125 miles before reaching Huntington Beach, our longest day of the bike trip. What a difference 15 years makes.

After lunch we headed north again to Lincoln and Adam's house. It was great to get the kids back together with Max, Reese, Corden, and Will again. Although Max is now a moody teenager so Isaac mostly hung out with Corden and Will, since they are all LEGO freaks. Georgie and Juliet were in heaven seeing Reesie again.

The next morning we headed to Lake Oroville and the houseboat that Adam had rented for us. We met Adam's new girlfriend, Celeste, who fit in great with the family and handled his kids really well. We were all very impressed.

We were also impressed with Max's friend Chase who came with us. He was the anti-Max, very friendly and engaging with the both the adults and younger kids and really helped Max to come out of his protective teenage shell somewhat. The house boat was great and we had a blast the whole time.

Gaga is big pimpin', spendin' Gs!

While Papa is driving the bus.

There is a steering wheel on the upper deck as well, with which Juliet was pretending to drive, but really she was moving the keel and making Papa's job a lot harder!

And Adam is towing the kids around on the tube.

Juliet and Reese, together again!

Chase and Max are reenacting the scene from "Titanic" on the bow of the boat.

While Corden and Isaac are enjoying the tube. We whipped the kids around something fierce and made them tumble out of the tube in spectacular wipe outs.

Back at the marina at the end of the trip. Such a great time.

The trailer blew a tire on the way home but Adam, Chase, and Max had it repaired in no time. They lost the trailer license plate when the tire blew, however, and Craig drove out there the next day to find it. Not only did he find Adam's plate, he found somebody else's as well!

Once back at Adam's house we had a great pool party. The only one missing is Bryant, whom Ashley is pretending to hug. Well, and me, I'm taking the picture.

Max is sort of smiling! It's a miracle! So good to see the family together again.

This pool party was even better, with Chelsea and Lindsay's families coming over as well. Crazy how everyone's families have changed and grown over the years. Here I am with a bunch of the kids in the hot tub.

Gaga, Uncle Dave with his crazy sock obsession, Adam, and Celeste.

Ashley with her Pettey girl cousins, none of whose last name is Pettey anymore. Chelsea and Lindsay both looked great and seemed really happy.

Just missing Bryant, Cam, and McCall.

The next morning we said goodbye to the Petteys and drove up to Lake Tahoe to reunite with the Merback/Garff clan. This was a dream come true for me. I hadn't been to Tahoe since 2009, seven years previously. We arrived first and went to the creek while we were waiting for everyone else to come.

This is the exact spot where I used to play with my cousins and siblings as a kid. Rocky and I used to build serious dams in the stretch of creek between Isaac and Georgie. Such great memories and so fun to have my kids there now.

Our first reunion was with the Quinns, and Georgie and Juliet were super-excited to have so many girl cousins to play with. We then met up with Mimi and Poppop, Blair and Sue, Traci and Merrill, and Dave and Jenny. Since we didn't have any boats yet we decided to hike Diamond Peak.

Georgie with Paisley, Dayton, Hunter, and Juliet.

At the top with Tahoe in the background. L to R, back to front: Dave Garff, Dave Quinn, Dayton, Chris, Gary, Kerry, Juliet, me, Paisley, Georgie, Jaimee, Corbyn, Pam, Hunter, Ashley, Traci, Rosie, Jenny, Ava, and Isaac.

Later that night Rob and Sara arrived and our kids finally got to meet the twins! It was a dream come true to see them all together.

Juliet with Cate (we think!)

Georgie with Lucy (I am sure)

Jake and Ashlee arrived that night as well and we had a blast eating and talking all together just like old times.

Misty and Ashlee decided to have their own class at primary that Sunday morning given how many kids we had. Clockwise from Misty: Ty, Will, Gavin, Cooper, Hunter, Juliet.

Holding Cate on the left and Lucy on the right. Once you are with them for a few days you can start to figure it out, but only when looking at them straight on. From behind, they are indistinguishable.

Juliet and the twins.

The girl cousins that were there at the time: Dayton, Cate, Georgie, Lucy, Britain, Juliet, Hunter, and Paisley.

The boy cousins: Luke, Isaac, Tanner, Will (?), Corbyn, Cooper, Gavin, Fiver, and Ty.

Isaac with Cooper, love the expression on their faces. While standing outside the chapel after church some guy grabbed me and said, "Joey Merback!" It was Matt Urick, the missionary that we had met in Altus eight years ago. His wife's family has been vacationing in Tahoe every summer for the past 50 years. So great to see him again and catch up briefly.

That night Blair, the patriarch, gave an impromptu devotional where he talked about the 21 grandchildren of Wayne and Jeanette Garff and had us share stories from our many vacations at Tahoe. At the end we did a big family cheer for Bob and recorded it to send to him and Laurie. We had a great time, but Tahoe wasn't the same without them.

The next two days were serious beach days. Jake and Ashlee had the boat going all day and were so gracious in sharing it with everyone. The kids loved playing on the beach and swimming together. Just like when we were kids, with Jake playing the role of Uncle Bob.

Juliet in the crystal clear waters of Tahoe.

Mimi with her two big grandsons, who will both be teenagers next year. Scary!

Georgie and Dayton on Rob's paddle board.

Pam and the kids in the canoe.

Luke modeling Georgie's swimsuit cover-up with Juliet at the Burnt Cedar Beach pool. Such sass!

Back at the creek with the little cousins: Juliet, Ty, Will, Cooper, and Gavin. They built a lean-to club house and hauled some furniture back there that was being given away by someone in the neighborhood. Here is a video of them playing:

The next day was probably my favorite at Tahoe. After early morning ski runs, we went to Kings Beach Mini Golf and met up with Rocky's family and Cary Ann's two oldest, Kaymie, and Hannah.

The girls goofing off.

This was another dream come true. Playing a round of 18 with Jake, Rocky, and Rob. Let the record show that I destroyed the four of them, finishing about 8 strokes ahead of second placed Rob while Jake and Rocky simply imploded. First time I have beaten both of them at anything! The conversations we had during that round were my favorite of the summer.

Isaac with Hannah and Jackson, who is a freaking giant!

Juliet had a decent round, but capped it off in style!

She won a free game on the 19th hole! Now we just need to keep track of that card for another two-plus years to redeem it.

Juliet, Ty, and Andrew. They are growing up so fast.

Not sure who everyone is in the background, but there is Kaymie on the far right. I embarrassed her by telling her stories about when she was an infant & toddler. Now she is turning 16 this fall and driving cars.

So proud of that free game.

Isaac with one of the twins, not quite sure who!

What a shot: Cate/Lucy (sorry!), Isaac, Jackson, Ladies' Man Luke, Kaymie, Tanner, Thomas, and Hannah. We pretty much took over that side of the course for the afternoon.

Will also won a free game!

The classic Joey, Rocky, Jake shot recreated with Isaac, Jackson, and Tanner. Tanner is a really handsome kid, closed eyes in this picture notwithstanding. I gave him all kinds of crap about that goofy flat-brim hat all week. Someday he is going to look back at these pictures and feel the same way I do about the pictures of me with the 49ers hat sitting way back on my head and my poofy bangs sticking out underneath.

All of the kids from the 4th generation of the Wayne & Jeanette Garff family. Well, all of the ones at Tahoe that day. Such a great picture.

After golf we went to Log Cabin for ice cream and then the park for a pizza picnic and birthday party. The whole afternoon was honestly magical and I never wanted it to end.

This was on 27 July and Juliet's birthday was not until the 29th, but we had to leave the next day to fly to Dayton, OH, so we celebrated two days early.

Jubie with her Mimi.

Georgie with her Dayton.  They were joined at the hip all weekend.

Or maybe joined at the wing. In the background you an see Brandon and Ashlee.

I took this picture because of all of Rocky's boys, Thomas looks the most like him. Isaac looks less like me with every year, but he's all I've got! So this is the best I can do for a Joey & Rocky next generation picture.

Here they are beating the crap out of each other with Wiffle bats, just like Rocky and I used to do with the boxing gloves in Grandma's basement.

Will is loving that cake.

As is Fiver! This kid is totally fearless and will do anything.

This video captures something of the magic of the evening:

That night we had a dance party. Rob had brought his DJ equipment up and set it up on the porch of number 31. I was excited but worried because my kids can be kind of shy in those situations and they don't really know American pop music very well (thank the maker!). Georgie was fine because she had Dayton and the girls, but she refused to dance with me. Isaac took a little while to warm up but eventually was fine. Juliet outright refused to dance the entire time. Just stood there like a wooden post. I was more upset by that than I should have been. Your kids have been away from their cousins for four years, and here you are, on the last night you have with them, and everyone is having a great time, but your child is paralyzed by fear and "vergogna" (a mix of embarrassment and shame). Hard to take. But still, it was a fun night.

The next morning I went for an early morning ski run, the final one. Jake was kind enough to take and share the following video. Rocky can be heard saying, "This is like the 'Bob Memorial Trip!'"

And then it was over. We packed up and headed to the Reno-Tahoe airport for our flight to Dayton, Ohio. Aunt Paula had mailed a package of Team Bob bracelets to us in Tahoe, so we decided to finish the vacation with a tribute picture for Uncle Bob, hoping that he is with us the next time we make it back.

We are Team Bob! Love you Uncle Bob and Aunt Laurie. So grateful to Grandpa Wayne and Grandma Jeanette for starting the Tahoe tradition, for Bob, Laurie, Blair, Sue, Pam, Gary, Mom and Dad for continuing the tradition, and to everyone that made it out this year see us on our return from the old country.

P.S. Rob put together this highlight video of the trip. The best part is the stark contrast between Ashlee's skiing and everyone else's!

Four Years in Europe

For the past two months I have been mourning the loss of the best time in my life, the four years our family spent in Europe. I don't know if the rest of my life will be able to compare! I walk past the LEGO display of mini-Venice in the stairwell and my heart sinks. I go through our old stuff and moan as I throw out our Italian rental contract, the car registration, the kids' old school notebooks, and the like. And the worst is reviewing our family travel log here. I can't tell if I am happy that we had those experiences or depressed that those experiences are gone now. Well, join me for a little schadenfraude as I trip down memory lane and review my favorite posts here.

The Food Tours
The food tours of a balsamic vinegar place in Modena and a Parmigiano-Reggiano caseficio in Parma were some of my all-time favorite gastronomic experiences in Europe.

Thanksgiving in Tuscany with the Famici
We went to Tuscany with our friends (amici in italiano) who rapidly became our adopted family (famiglia), and therefore were branded with the neologism of "famici". The highlight of that trip was the sulfur hot spring (until we saw the little black squiggly worms).

Six Country Christmas Vienna  Budapest
European Christmas Vacation with the Griswolds...uh, I mean Petteys. Schloss Schoenbrunn was an amazing tour and the Christmas markets in Vienna were to die for. Budapest was likewise outstanding with great Christmas market food. Ashley and I closed out the Buda museum we were so fascinated with the history of the place.

Paris
Spring break 2013 in freezing cold Paris, meeting up with our friends from Altus the Keunes (stationed in the UK at the time), climbing the Tour Eiffel, losing Ashley's purse on the train and having it returned to us by an incredibly honest and kind French woman, not being impressed with Versailles, and eating some serious pastries.

Baska
Our June 2013 trip to the beach town Baska on the island of Krk in Croatia. Still our all-time favorite beach vacation.

The Italian Chicken Massacre
All six of our chickens were eaten by a cinghiale (wild boar).

Merbacks in Europe 2013
Venice, Salzburg, Zell am See, and Rome with my extended family, minus Ashlee and the littlest nephews. There were only two major fights in the space of about two weeks, which is pretty good for us!

Switzerland Sans Children
Hiking in the Jungfrau region of the Swiss Alps with my love while Megan and Greg watched the kids. Heaven.

Udinese vs. Roma Game
One of the early Udinese soccer games that we attended (over 30 in all). We learned some hardcore chants by the end of our 3rd season tickets. "Forza vinci solo per la curva nord!"

Plitvice Waterfall Park in Croatia
An amazing waterfall national park in Croatia in autumn 2013.

The French Riviera Part 1 & Part 2
Four-day Labor Day weekend trip with the famici to Cannes and Monaco. Ashley didn't even want to go! "What's so great about the French Riviera?" she said!

The Best Multi-lingual Halloween Party Ever
An amazing Italian-American Halloween trunk-or-treat and bonfire in our backyard. One of the highlights of our Italian integration.

Tutti i Santi with the Joneses and Keunes in Venice
The Keunes, good friends from Altus, drove from Mildenhall, England, all the way to Sarone, Italy and we spent 1 November in Venice.

Lucca, Cinque Terre, Vinci, and Pisa with the Joneses
Tann and Angela Jones are our good friends we met in Altus who followed us to Aviano. This was one of the first of many great joint-family adventures with them. We sorely miss them!

The Best Dang Tuscan Thanksgiving Ever Part 1 & Part 2 (scroll down)
The second Thanksgiving in Tuscany with the famici was probably the best one, also known as "Tuscan Do It!"

Date Weekend in London with the Trifilos
The first of three date weekends with our good friends Greg & Megan. We saw two West End shows and ate incredible food.

Assisi, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, and Napoli
One of my all time favorite trips in Italy. Pompeii blew us away, the Amalfi Coast was uncrowded and gorgeous, Sorrento had the best gelato ever, and Napoli had the best pizza ever. Great long weekend trip.

Spring Break in England, Scotland, and Wales
We started in London and did a huge anti-clockwise loop through Cambridge, York, Edinburgh, the Lake District, Anglesey Island, Bath, Stonehenge, and back to London.

Espana: The Return
15 years after leaving as a missionary, I returned to Spain with my family and went to several of my old haunts as well as a few new places, complete with pictures in the same places separated by 15 years in time. Jake's favorite post.

Switzerland and Venice with Mimi (Rosie) and Aunt Pam
Mom returned without Dad but with Aunt Pam and we took them back to Venice and the Jungfrau region of the Swiss Alps. One of those repeat trips that I didn't mind at all, as I felt that I couldn't get enough of it.

Cinque Torri in the Dolomites 
One of our first trips to the Dolomites that really cemented our love for that area, definitely our favorite place in Italia.

A Visit from Rocky
Rocky was able to swing over during a business trip to Zurich. So fun to catch up as our kids get older and our careers advance.

Oetzi the Iceman & Val di Gardena
We saw the 5,000 year-old wet mummy found on the Austrian-Italian border and went back to a different part of the Dolomites.

The Return to Baska
Back to Baska with the famici Crandalls and the Napoli game with Ben afterward.

The Best Italian Meal Ever
An 11-course meal with a multi-generational local family and the Trifilos. Can't beat that!

Innsbruck with the Joneses
Eating some serious food at Christmas markets and loving Austria.

Skiing the Matterhorn with the Joneses
Juliet conquered skiing at the foot of the Matterhorn. Not a bad memory!

Mancation with Greg & Ben
The 3rd annual Guys' Ski Weekend at Tarvisio and Nassfeld, my all time favorite ski resort.

Sevilla Date Weekend
I convinced Megan, Greg, and Ashely to spend our 2nd annual date weekend in Sevilla, and they were not disappointed. Mas pringa de Bar Santa Cruz, por favor!

Sicily!
Amazing food, views, and ancient Greek ruins. What's not to love?

May Day in Tuscany
Just a quick three day weekend in Tuscany, you know, no big deal.

Hiking Civetta in the Dolomites
We pushed way too far with the kids and probably ruined hiking for Juliet for good. But it was worth it!

Greece: Athens and Naxos with the Crandalls
Kill me NOW! Or take me back to Greece, specifically the island of Naxos. Prior to Norway, the Dolomites and Greece were definitely our favorite places in Europe.

Normandy and Paris with Papa, Gaga, and Reese
Our niece Reese came to visit! Normandy was a very powerful experience and we were able to complete our Parisian experience with this 2nd trip.

The Return of the Merbacks
Rob, Sara, Mom, Dad, Tanner, and Aunt Pam made it back again. We went back to Venice but also explored the Dolomites, Pompeii, Herculaneum (where we met up with Dave Quinn!), Positano on the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, Napoli, Lucca, Pisa, Cinque Torri, Lake Bled, and Ljubljana. Was that a good enough free tour guide European experience for you?!

The Invasion of the Monsons
Kelly, Aly, Liam, Arie, and Ryder came to visit while Bryant was staying with us and we had some serious fun in the Dolomites, Venice, Florence, and our local area. Our kids are a near-perfect match and the conversations and laughs the five adults had can hardly be rivaled. Can't wait to see more of them in Park City!

The Final Thanksgiving in Tuscany
Our final Famici Thanksgiving in Tuscany featured the most epic petanque games ever as well as the ultimate winery tour and dinner.

Christmas Markets with Bryant
Bryant stayed with us for a few months and used our house as a home base for several trips in Europe. It was great to spend so much time with him. He became part of our normal routine, having him at dinner every night, doing our dishes for us, fattening us up with various Oreo varieties, and providing some great conversation.

Lisbon Date Weekend
The 3rd and final date weekend with the Trifilos to Lisbon and Sintra. Mmmmmm, egg tarts!

Skiing and Bonfires
I have discovered that my true passion in life is working outdoors. Cutting up trees, splitting logs, making compost, harvesting nuts & fruit, and building bonfires. My bonfires became legendary, and every one was bigger than the last. I think I made about 10-12 in the four years we lived there. And the skiing trips we took made the winter my favorite time of year in Europe.

Blair, Sue, Bob and Laurie visit
Bob was just starting to feel the effects of his lymphoma worsening on this trip, which makes me feel guilty that his treatment was delayed because of this visit. But then again, I was so GLAD to get this time with him, Laurie, Blair, and Sue all to ourselves. We took them to Venice and the Dolomites, trying to pay them back for all of the times that they have spoiled me, taken me skiing, hosted us at their home or at Tahoe, and all the things that amazing aunts and uncles do for their nephews and nieces over the years. We are Team Bob!

Amsterdam (scroll down)
Spring break 2016, sleeping on a boat, riding bikes in the most bike-friendly city in the world, and eating. Always eating.

Norway
The final trip. Expensive as all get-out, but one of our favorite places in Europe along with Greece and the Dolomites.

And that's it. Before we left, Ashley emphasized that she wanted us to be "affected" by this time in Europe. I think we can safely say "Mission Accomplished". We are so glad that we were able to share at least some of it with so many of you. Thank you for reading and commenting. It was so great to see so many of you when we returned this summer. Can't wait for all of the trips to Park City, Tahoe, Vegas, Texas, SoCal, NorCal, New York, Salt Lake, and so many other places yet to come.