Happy Two-Year UK Anniversary To Us!

This week marks two whole years since we moved to Happy Harrogate. Time is going by so quickly. It's hard to believe that we're in our final year here. It's definitely bittersweet. It will be nice to be closer to friends and family, but I will miss the ease with which we are able to travel now. Going to Scotland for the week here is like going to New York for the week from DC. Everything is so accessible, and if you look hard enough, affordable. It's not that we won't be able to travel when we're back in the States, but it will be very different.

Since we've moved here, we have visited 19 countries*, not including England, Scotland and Wales. All of our trips were amazing, but here are my top five from this year:

• Jerusalem, Israel
• Every stop was amazing, but Jerusalem will always be my favorite. The food, the culture, the beauty...it has everything!
• (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Northern Israel, Ein Gedi, Eilat, Petra, Wadi Rum) 
• Krakow, Poland
• I did not expect to love Krakow as much as I did. Even in the dead of winter the city is stunning. Visiting Auschwitz was a difficult, but very moving experience.
• The Highlands, Scotland
• I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked Glasgow, but not at all surprised at how much I liked the rest of Scotland. It absolutely lived up to all of my expectations.
• (Glencoe, Kyle of Lochalsh, Isle of Skye, Inverness)
• Granada, Spain
• I could spend a long time in Granada and be very happy. The architecture is stunning and the orange trees make me so happy.
• (Malaga, Sevilla, Granada, White Towns)
• Alicante, Spain
• I went to Spain twice in the last year and they were very different trips. My visit to Alicante was a much-needed girls trip. Our agenda was to sleep, eat and giggle. It was amazing.

Jerusalem, Israel

Krakow, Poland

Isle of Skye, Scotland

Granada, Spain

Alicante, Spain

Of course we've done more than just travel this past year. We cooked, crafted, entertained guests, ran and...oh yeah, had a baby!

Raspberry jam

DIY outdoor cushions

Tea with Dina and Ed

Dan's Half Marathon

Zahara Jane

I constantly feel blessed for the amazing opportunity we have been given. My life is so full. I can't wait to see what the next year brings!

* The countries we've visited so far: Belgium; Czech Republic; Denmark; Egypt; Estonia; Finland; France; Germany; Ireland; Israel; Jordan; Lithuania; Malta; Morocco; the Netherlands; Poland; Russia; Spain and Sweden.

See last year's highlights here.