Emma and Grandma's Surprise Visit

Mid-March my mom called me on Skype...actually, first, she messaged John and told him she needed to talk to me...John then relayed the message in a way that sounded urgent and I spent the next ten minutes trying to get over the adrenaline rush and near-heart attack that encompass a family member expressing the need to speak to me urgently.  Most of the time, my mom just wants to let me know that she's thinking about learning how to do something like tanning leather or that she is sure she could make a fish whistle out of clay...so URGENT seems positively frightening in my book. It turns out, all heart-palpitating aside, it was good news. Really good news. My mom and sister, who check airline prices to Vienna as a hobby, had discovered a (relatively) inexpensive direct flight into Vienna from Maryland...and they wanted to know if we would be free for them to come visit.  *cue angel's chorus and another, albeit more joyous, adrenaline rush*

I was ecstatic...if not still trying to make sure no one had been in a horrible car accident.  We had four weeks to wait until Mom and Emily arrived and the time flew by.  The weather all month was horrible, but their eminent arrival was my silver lining.  God knew what he was doing when He sent my mom and sister to me--looking forward to their visit buoyed me through what were the most difficult weeks of this past year for me.

Turning into hypoglycemic, impatient goo

The morning Mom and Emily got here, I woke the girls super early to make sure we made it to the airport in time to meet them.  Instead of our usual meat and egg breakfast, I let the girls grab a pastry from the bakery for the sake of time management.  So, they were jazzed--pumped up on a sugar high, waiting for Emma and Grandma to walk through the arrivals gate.  Unfortunatley, It took forever for them to progress from "landed" to "hey, we've got our luggage and we're here".  So, the girls had enough time to come down off their blood sugar spike and ended up slinking onto the floor next to a railing, moaning; "Why is it taking so long to get their baaaggggsss?!"

Why, yes, I have done a bit of modeling...why do you ask?

But, praise the Lord, eventually they came through that ever-loving gate and there was much celebration.  We all made it, bags and children in tow, to our apartment and settled in for a tea party, complete with welcome shortbread for the VIP's.  Emma even brought an entire loaf of coconut bread...just because she's Emma and she could.  Although there was no dearth of presents over the days that followed, the first one mom produced then was a set of six headbands she had made for the girls, complete with beautiful bows from her new spring ribbon shipment.  These headbands ended up lingering around the dinner table over the next few weeks; They would most often be produced during tea time or lunch, but soon Audrey started hosting exclusive parties in which only individuals donning a fabulous headband could be admitted. (Luckily, Papa was awarded the chic black-and-white headband, which we deemed most masculine)

And this was just the beginning.

Neither one of us knew what the other was doing-SISTERS!!

It's easy to fall into a comfortable routine with my mom and sister.  Although Emily possesses a more aggressive drive to procure gelato and cake (likely because she only had a week to get her fill), we all pretty much roll right along with the same priorities.  Playgrounds being number one.  Cake and gelato would come in second, with movies (and alternatively nap time) bringing in the rear. Eventually the "what's for dinner" conversation would come up and the girls quickly got used to having someone to snuggle with while their Mama (and a sous chef) were busy chopping and cooking.

At the Musiksverein

We didn't keep things too domestic, though.  I had the privilege of introducing them to my beloved farmer's market, showing them the beautiful Belvedere Palace, there was cocoa at The Demel and we even managed the Grand Tour of the rooms at Schönbrunn Palace with my rowdy lot in tow.  But, best of all, was our very Viennese girl's night out. The three of us had tickets to see the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra perform in the Musiksverein (reportedly one of the best musical venues in the city).

Sacher torte!

We all got gussied up a bit, leaving Audrey and Bailey to spend their own special date night with their Papa and headed downtown to the concert hall.  I will admit to being impressed...which is kind of hard for someone who doesn't place much value in riches and grandeur.  The Musiksverein was absolutely gorgeous and listening to the orchestra there has become one of the most delightful things I've experienced in Vienna so far.  After the concert, we adjourned to Cafe Sacher...which is one of the cafe's on my notorious list that I hadn't yet checked off.  Now it has been given the old check with quite a bit of flare; the three of us ordered sparkling wine, sacher torte, apple strudel and topfen strudel and whiled away an hour or so basking in the loveliness of the evening.  I think that might have been my first and last visit to the Sacher Cafe...I just can't imagine topping off a better oh-so-Viennese night with anyone else, anywhere else. 

Second breakfast--it's what we do best

Life feels good and right and simple with my mom and sister around.  The biggest reason they were here was to spend time with the girls and our activities reflected that.  In fact, their visit really signaled a turning point...both in the seasons and in the way we've been patterning our days ever since.  We were bummed when our Emma had to leave a mere six days after arriving, but we settled into a comfortable routine with Grandma G over the next week--spending our days at the park, mostly.  Enjoying the sunshine and wandering about the city without a care in the world.  Those weeks with my mom and sister were just the best.

love!

Being away from my family (and close friends who might as well be family) has certainly been the most difficult part of living abroad.  But, I cannot express how uplifting and joyous this visit was for all of us.  The concept of love this past year has been stretched and reformed so many times in my mind, I can't count the forms I've seen it take. Aside from the shocking arrival of fifteen pounds of peanut butter in the post, I can say, this was my favorite.