Introducing BEAR...

We have a new member of the family, his name is BEAR. I intentionally use all capital letters for his name because he deserves a name that stands out, and stands up to the machine he is. Initially I was hesitant about adding to our family, but Ryan's excitement changed my mind. Now that BEAR is home, I completely agree with the addition.

Who/what is BEAR? He is a Jeep Rubicon. I could try and explain how he is lifted, big wheels, etc. etc. but I would do no justice to everything he is and has. What I do know for sure is, he is big, in charge, and a force both on the road and off. He is every bit a BEAR.

So happy...

Before we left to pick up BEAR, I had to capture some final moments with Cajun (Ryan's old Jeep).

The intense process of getting Henry and his car seat loaded. 

Cajun and BEAR meet for the first time. 

BEAR is home.

Henry decided he needed to inspect BEAR.
Tires look good.
*Please note the tires are bigger than our child. *

These bars look good. 

Underside looks good.
*Henry suggested stronger, thicker skid plates, so Ryan quickly went about ordering new ones.*

BEAR wasn't with us for 48 hours before Ryan took him out.
A local Jeep club was heading out to an off roading area. 

BEAR is the perfect addition to our family. He will get to fully stretch his legs, and live up to his Rubicon title later this summer. We will be traveling to California, and BEAR will have the opportunity to experience and hopefully conquer the famous Rubicon trail.  The reason Henry suggested the stronger, thicker skid plates.

Beer, Chocolate, and the occasional waffle...

The Lang family has returned to America. We returned last week, and had some amazing friends visit this past weekend, so I am now getting around to posting about our final days in Europe. We spent our last weekend in Belgium. We took the Eurostar from London to Brussels, spent one night in Brussels, then made our way to Bruges for two nights.

We were happy to only spend one night in Brussels. Our hotel was perfectly situated near everything we wanted to see, so as soon as we arrived, we did our sightseeing, and were ready to head to Bruges the following morning.

Manneken Pis in Brussels. 

Enjoying our first waffle in Brussels. 

Sightseeing in the Grand Place. 

We had initially planned to take the train from Brussels to Bruges, but a lovely train strike threw a wrench in our plans. Rather than wasting the time trying to see if we could get a train to Bruges, and not wanting to waste an entire day playing the train strike game, we found a lovely taxi driver to take us to Bruges. It worked out well, more expensive (but Ryan did a fantastic job of negotiating the price), much more relaxing than fighting for a possible train, and Henry was able to get a nap in! We arrived relaxed, rested and ready to explore!

Boat Tour in Bruges. 

Top of the Bell Tower in Bruges. 

A shared love of ice cream!

One final frite in Bruges. 

Many people told us Bruges was/is an amazing city, and it's true. We loved Bruges! Everything about it was lovely, our Bed and Breakfast, the city, the people. It was the perfect final weekend in Europe.

After returning to London, we did a final day of sightseeing prior to our travel back to the States. Our time in London/Europe was fun filled, adventure packed, and we made some incredible memories.

Final day in London, stroll through Hyde Park. 

Henry needed to make a phone call. 

Final train ride from London. 

If you would like to see the rest of our pictures from Brussels and Bruges, you can click on the link below.

Belgian Photo Album