Sidi Kaouki & Essaouria

You know when you are nearing the end of something and it seems like time is going to drag on for eternity? That seems like my life in this moment.  Not to confuse you as I do enjoy life here, but  I have come to miss my boys so much that I often just hope to wake up and have that be homecoming day.  Sometimes, I just want to sleep the days away because the days must go by faster if you just sleep all day- right?!  In all seriousness, this experience of life overseas has been unforgettable and has helped grow parts of all four of us- for the better.  We have developed a resilient, a strong, a loving family that appreciates life as it is.  Whatever it throws us- we know that in the end we have each other.  We have chosen to eliminate things that do not matter to the heart and foster growth within the people and things that we love.  However, at times, without my family I feel lost.  I feel sad.  Simply put, I miss my family.  Some days, I run the vision through my head of what our reunion will look like.  I can physically feel Chad and Mr. F's arms finally wrapping around me.  The eyes glimmering with excitement and I am sure my tears will flow easily. 

These past two weeks were lovely.  We had a two week holiday from school.  My previous blog post covered my first week of holiday.  The second week, Claire and I had decided to drive to Sidi Kaouki with friends and vacation in a riad we rented out for a few days.  If I am being honest, I was dreading the vacation.  I know, that sounds horrible.  But if you know me well enough, you know that sometimes I have a hard time traveling without my complete family.  I end up missing my family in all the moments, the sounds, the smells and the entire experience feels incomplete.  I knew that going without Mr. F and Chad, I would feel the open cracks that their presence always fills.  And I did.  I caught myself wandering in thought thinking about how much my boys would love to be next to Claire and I.  Mr. F would love the quiet ocean and view from the terrace.  Chad would love playing on the terrace and running in and out of the Atlantic Ocean.  Those thoughts can make the cracks feel like gaping holes.  Regardless of the cracks and my wandering mind, I thoroughly enjoyed our vacation with friends and my time with Claire. 

The Rimandos, The Gaunts, The Gaunts (again), Patrick, as well as Claire and I all rented a riad- the entire thing.  The Riad was placed thirty minutes outside Essaouria near a town called Sidi Kaouki.  On Tuesday afternoon, Nick and Anna drove Claire and I up with their family in a Renault car.  I was squished between two car sets and had Happy on my lap- needless to say, for the three hour drive I considered myself a child too.  Wondering... are we there yet?  We arrived at Cap Sim House.  The Rimandos and Patrick were already there, settling in and enjoying the views.  The house was comfortable and am I glad we rented the whole house rather than just rooms.  The house was supposed to have WIFI, a working steam room and a working pool- in which none of those worked the entire trip- however, it didn't really matter.  We all had each other and a warm fire every night after the kids went to bed.    

To simplify meals, we decided to assign a family to lunch and dinner and make communal breakfasts.  The first night, The Rimandos made an amazing Philippino noodle dish.  There were three HUGE woks full of it and yet it disappeared by the next lunch hour.  The first day, we all spent a lot of time inside and just experiencing what the house had to offer.  The kids were all excited to be together.  Cultures from all of the world:)  American, Philippino, British... a big world family.  

Patrick talking with Claire- I LOVE the door:)

Happy running on the rooftop terrace

Relaxing near the pool

Maya and Claire

Diego with some of the girls

Kate

Patrick playing and singing to the kids

Reading

Sitting by the fire

The first full day, we woke up to pouring rain.  Water was dripping into to the open crevices and creating puddles on the floor.  Larabie, the care taker, was constantly sweeping up water and emptying buckets.  We spent a lot of time playing inside- including soccer, but as soon as the clouds parted and the rain stopped, we all ran outside to stare that the beautiful Atlantic and play up on the terrace.    we drove into Essaouria mid-afternoon so I could access WIFI at a cafe.  We found ourselves in the Medina- just taking in the sites and smells.  A nice afternoon even through the weather was cool and the wind was aggressive.

Diego and Happy

Splashing Away

Maya and Deigo

Squeezes

Anya bought some peas for dinner, and she brought them up to the roof.  All of the kids came running to help shell the peas.  Claire kept eating the peas instead of adding them to the bowl.

Windmills from the rooftop

LOVE that squishy face!

After the Medina, we came home and Patrick made chili.  We all relaxed by the fire and crashed a bit early. This many kids can be exhausting!

Maia, Anna, and Happy

Watching Tinkerbell

We all slept in the next morning, but took the opportunity to feed the food scraps to the donkeys and cows.  The kids all ran outside with excitement searching for where the open range animals were.

Maia

Laiad

Laiad, Happy, Maya, Maia and the cow:)

We decided today would be a beach day, but Patrick would drive me to Sidi Kaouki for WIFI again as Nick was sick and out for the count.  Sibil and Happy ate cheerios together and patiently waited for everyone to be ready to walk down to the shore.

Sibil

Oh that face kills me!

Laiad being a ham

We all walked down to the beach minus Nick, who slept the entire day away.  We all settled in to play!  Sandy toes and salty kisses!  Claire enjoyed digging in the sand and putting it all in her bucket.  She even decided to being to bury Diego in the sand, but lost interest as she realized her tiny hands and an adult body- she could be there all day!  Diego and I played frisbee together, but it didn't take long for Maia and Claire to jump in and want to play.  We spent time teaching the girls how to throw the frisbee to each other.  Another family, The Romans, were in Essaouria and drove out to Sidi Kaouki to meet us for the day.  Claire loves Evan, as they attend KG0 together.  They fought, played, cried at each other over the princess bucket, but in the end decided that they would play together anyhow.

Claire covering Diego with sand

Evan

Diego

Frisbee with Diego and Mom

The long beach day had both Claire and I sandy and tired.  We showered at the house with warm water (luckily)!  We had Spaghetti Bolognaise made by Anna.  Claire was nearly too tired to function.  She crashed early when we talking with Mr. F on an international phone call.  That is what happens when Lexie has no WIFI and she misses Mr. F... she calls just to hear that voice.  Claire fell asleep listening to her daddy talk.

Our last day, we gathered our things and packed up so we would be ready to leave when The Gaunts were ready.  The Rimandos and Patrick hired a van to pick them up at 1p.  However, when it arrived, the driver was trying to negotiate a new price.  They declined, so Nick drove them to the bus station in Essaouira so they could transport home via city bus.  Anna, I and the girls waited for Nick to return.  We drove into Essaouira about 330p and I found WIFI straight away.  We purchased a few things including pants for Claire, a treasure box and keychain for Chad, and pants for Mr. F.  Our tummies rumbled, so we decided to find a restaurant with a terrace away from the wind.  We  found a lovely cafe with a beautiful view.  By this time, my brain and body were exhausted and ready to go home.  We left Essaouira around 630p.  Back squished between the three girls-- Claire wiggly and tired but refusing to sleep.  We made it back around 930p and Claire went straight to bed.  I stayed up, called Mr. F because those cracks had become gaping holes.  I needed to try to ease the sadness even just a bit.

Sibil

Fun door:)

New Pants!

When I reflect back on the vacation, I am glad that Claire and I went to Sidi Kaouki and Essaouria.  We had a wonderful time and we always enjoy the company of those who joined us.  I have been learning to stretch myself in the things I do.  Instead of saying 'no' I am doing my best to say 'yes' especially if all I would be doing is sitting at home.  Even though the next 70 days are going to be a struggle until we board that airplane, I do know that we have many more adventures ahead of us.  So... why not take advantage of the opportunities that literally classify as 'once in a life time.'  There is a chance, that all of these people I have come to love so dearly become a fond memory of friendship.  In my life at this time, I am doing what I can with what I have.  I have a beautiful Happy craving adventure alongside her mom.  I have a home and a life in Morocco for the next 70 days.  I need to live it while I can knowing that I am lucky enough to have Mr. F and Chad waiting for our arrival in June.  Until that day arrives- strength, smile, fun, and adventure!

We love and miss you all at home!

xo

Lex