Spring Break + A Very Busy Season

Courtesy of Uncle Sam, we are basically raising these kids in the south. Ski weekends invariably find us far from lift lines, because there are few things worse- trust me, I know- than chasing fresh powder or decent waves across a part of the country best known for long growing seasons and sweet tea. 

So for Presidents' Day weekend we headed for the "scenic city" (Chattanooga), a perennial fave. Ruby Falls, long on my billboard bucket list, was as tacky and fabulous as promised. Complete with underground music and light show.

We also finally made our way to the world famous Loveless Cafe, where we discovered that the biscuits are in fact the best to be had. Our biscuit quest may be over. They are yeast biscuits and tough to approximate at home, but these come close.

We love a good theme, so Seth's birthday found us celebrating at the Grand Ole Opry. I had been a tad skeptical, but Jelly Roll put on a heck of a show (and was a real crowd pleaser).

The great Tennessee blizzard of 2025 (see photo) netted a few popular no-school days, and it remained unreasonably cold for my 3 unnecessary weeks in the field as part of "Operation Lethal Eagle."

Fortunately, I made it back in time for warmer temps, zero sympathy, the tail end of basketball season,

and more Nashville fun.

Also, a truly astounding nonstop procession of award ceremonies and baseball tournaments. 

And then it was time for the annual Spring Break Death March across Europe (so named by the ungrateful children we are raising, who at least use "death marching" as an affectionate reference to a fond Walters tradition. I think.)

You always wonder if they'll remember- the feel of places, the memories of being there, the way the food tasted or the air smelled or the light glinted off the mountains just so. If it will be worth the boatloads of Euros and indignities of air travel and early morning drives and draconian European parking ticket surcharges. 

And then you realize, 35 years later, that you recall standing on these exact steps (from The Sound of Music), and the taste of that apfelstrudel, like it was yesterday.

Thanks, Mom & Dad, for "taking us places and buying us things."

We branched out a little bit from the road trips of my youth, a detour made possible by the long-overdue demise of Yugoslavia. Slovenia was stunning, where we hiked above Lake Bled in the rain

and soaked in mineral pools with makeshift waterslides. In Croatia we beached on the Adriatic, 

visited a ridiculous number of bars frequented by James Joyce, and congratulated ourselves on skipping Rome for the much less crowded Istrian Colosseum.

We spent a few days in southern Italy wandering sun-drenched olive orchards from Ranj's villa in Brendola

before indulging Finley's bucket list trip to the (surprisingly delightful) Milan. Where our budding fashionista got to visit the original Prada store and find her perfect lip shade at Chanel, and her Air Jordans-clad brother played Madden on the couches of some of the most exclusive fashion houses in the world. 

We were chic in Venice (note world's most expensive aperol spritz in San Marcos Square) and tacky in Lake Garda;

we were nonplussed by the (sadly George Clooney-free) Lake Como but utterly enthralled by Lugano;

we hiked with bread and cheese in Switzerland (as Walters do)

and luxuriated in Austria (here at the pool in Seefeld, which looks exactly as all my siblings remembered it and which still features the death defying mountain water slide of our nightmares.)

And we wrapped our epic trip with rodelbahning and time with our people in Bad Tölz,

finishing as one finishes all Walters Death March trips:

Upon our return, we went racing headlong toward the end of the schoolyear and our first year at Fort Campbell. With baseball,

a quick trip to see Ford's best friend in beautiful eastern Tennessee (featuring mine and Finley's favorite airbnb ever),

and our big nine year old's birthday

slash birthmonth. Since he also got to celebrate the next weekend with his baseball team in Louisville (and his picture on a U of L scoreboard.)

Up next was the drama club's spring play, "Winnie the Pooh," which was adorable. Our Winnie and A.A. Milne knocked it out of the park.

Unfortunately, our busy months (March- May is madness around here) have also been characterized by persistent leg infections for Seth, so he has spent a fair amount of time in and out of surgery trying to get healthy. Luckily, the care at Vanderbilt is great and the kids are resilient and we have had Grandma to help with all of the driving. (Plus, the takeout options for dinner in Nashville are above average.)

With Seth temporarily home, I celebrated 46 with a packed week of Army shenanigans and a 46 mile bike ride (not to mention a lovely new- stocked- wine fridge, a fantastic gift from the big guy)-

- and Jayne and I found time to toast ourselves between church and baseball practice on Mothers Day. 

(Plus I bought myself a tacky driveway pool to tide us over until the post pool opens.) This time of year/ season of life may be wild, but we are cheers-ing ourselves in style!

Happy Mother's Day to the amazing Moms in our lives, especially with the end of the schoolyear and the start of summer nearly upon us! Hope everybody celebrated. Or at least had driveway wine-in-a-can.

One million Spring Break photos are here, for anyone so inclined.

January was a Long Year.

January, as they say, was a long year. We weren't quite sure we would make it. Work was utter mayhem, for all the reasons I get paid not to talk about, and then some. I survived the Norwegian Foot March (18.6 miles of freezing ruck marching fun), and the #worldsbesttrainedservicedog apparently took up drinking.

The snow came and went, although not without another Seth & I win of the Traditional Parent-Kid Snowball Fight.

Wendy visited (and attended the honor roll ceremony like a champ), and we discovered the truly excellent MWR rock wall.

And then we embarked on our annual "glad we're not in liftlines" road trip, with fantastic stops on the Civil Rights Trail,

and beautiful (if chilly) time on the gulf with Ana & Ata. 

We beat the Arctic Blast back in time to hit up the Austin Peay First Pitch Banquet and become forever fans,

and to skip school and make a run for Chicago and Ashley & Laura's courthouse wedding. You know, while that's still a thing they can do.

We closed the world's longest month out with rainy days and terrible kids' movies
and school dances;

and discovering Kentucky State Parks. Which are, honestly, fantastic.

Here's to February and spring around the corner and a month that will hopefully offend us less than communion grape juice offends Handsome Ford.