Change of plans!

So.... yeah. We're not in Greece. Our original plan would have had us half way there by now, with a stop over in Croatia and then visiting good friends in Albania for a couple nights. By the weekend we would have been arriving at a pretty cool small community/project in the southern Peloponnese region of Greece. But nope.

As can happen with WWOOFing - they canceled on us. We believe for good reason, and while it really stressed me out for a bit we also know that everything happens for a reason - and therefore are going with the flow. Thankfully we were able to extend our stay here in Austria. In fact, they were really happy that we are staying longer. We had to turn them down originally and tell them no, we have another farm, we want to head south and take off... then the next farm cancelled. So the farm we're at was happy to hear we're staying a bit longer.

Enjoying a beautiful Christmas Market

So now we're re-grouping. Planning. Researching. WWOOFing opportunities aren't as common in the winter, and as a family we're also not always/easily invited to places, simply because it's not the standard 1-2 young people traveling - it's a whole family! 5 of us! But there are possibilities out there. We might not end up in Greece like we wanted. There's just less WWOOFing farms in Greece - like, compared to France, Italy or Spain. And we originally wanted to head West anyway...

But right now we don't know anything for sure. We're balancing between reaching out to places and trying to make a plan- and just enjoying the beauty we have right now around us.

You see, as I mentioned, we should have been gone by now. But we're not. And literally on the day we wanted to originally leave/drive - we got a whole bunch of snow here. Like, over a foot. And since we knew we could stay here for at least two more weeks (maybe more if we need it to find the next place) we decided to fully embrace the cold and snow and learn some winter sports. Namely, snowboarding a skiing.

First step, sledding. Complete with races and soar legs the next day from walking up the hill.

The kids are really naturals, they said it's because it's in their blood (my husband and I skiied and snowboarded when we were younger).

Taking it easy and practicing how to stop without falling!

All ready to go! Every now and then we'd just hear her say "I'm coming!!!!!"

Well, my husband decided it really. It was his idea, he did the research, got the snowboards from a re-sell store that we can then sell them back to when we do leave here, looked up ski slopes we could go to on the weekends, etc. Then the farmer here was like, well why don't you just practice here first. There's a gentle slope behind the house that belongs to the cow pastures and they litereally made a ski/snowboarding slope for us!

Snowboards fresh out of the car and immediately tested.

Walking up the home-made slope... we'll be going somewhere with a lift on the weekend!

My hubby is a natural.... snowboarder! He tried ski's, but it prooved tricky.

So, since Saturday (3/4 days) we've been practicing- and doing really good! We got ski's from the family here, snow pants and gloves and all that winter stuff that we thought we wouldn't need and therefore didn't pack with us. Our youngest gets to borrow ski shoes, snowpants, a ski jacket, helmet - everything - from a relative of the farmers who is a year older than her. We are just so grateful. These amazing, loving people just joined in our excitement and helped make it possible.

And the kids are loving it. They're naturals. They're all learning in their own ways, at their own pace, and doing really well.

So, here's to embracing the moment and the change of plans. Over the weekend we'll be busy with a mix of enjoying the slopes and reaching out to new farms. Where will we end up? Nobody knows! But, we've decided to stay here for Christmas. On the 26th we need to be out of here though, because the house is booked with guests. Will we be headed towards Greece? Probably not. But who knows! More likely is Northern Italy or southern France.... on our way to Spain.

We'll keep you posted. In the meantime, enjoy the season of Advent, we certainly are.

(And the obligatory Green Card update - no news! Who would have thought. It's been almost a year since I applied for it. And not even step one is done!!!!)

Love

The Weddings