We started the year with a trip to Green Valley Lake for my birthday. It was a lot less crowded than Big Bear area and there was plenty of snow for play.

In March, with a heavy heart we went to Moldova to see my parents, specifically my mom. Her health was deteriorating faster and faster and that was the last chance to see her. From 2019, when my parents visited us in the US, Alzheimer’s took a strong hold of her body and relentlessly attacked until there was nothing left of her. She waited for all her kids and grandkids to gather around her one last time before leaving us. Her suffering was over in March and I was so glad we were there to support dad.

With Alzheimer’s, the grieving over the lost person starts way before they actually pass. Starting with 2019, she already didn’t recognize me most of the time. It was so heartbreaking to see my mom, who was always so loving and caring, look at me like I was a stranger. All that can be done is to learn to live with the pain and try to remember her like she used to be before the disease, strong, positive, and always up for a walk. Life keeps on going.

While we were in Europe, we went to Austria for a few days.

First we flew into Vienna.

Then we visited Salzburg, Mozart’s birthplace.

From Salzberg, we did a day drive to Hallstatt, a very picturesque mountain town.

In May, we got a good deal on flights to Hawaii and decided to take a break in Honolulu. We stayed at a rental with an awesome view of Diamond Head. Most of the days we spent at the beach.

One day we ventured to the top of Diamond Head. Stefan surprised us all with a speedy hike up the top and even faster back down. Not once did he ask to be carried. At the end I figured out the reason for his speed. He needed to go potty and in order to hold it in he needed to move fast. That kid!

At the end of June, I had to get some documents notarized at the Moldovan embassy in Washington DC so we made a trip out of it. We stayed at our friends’ place in Virginia, which was only about an hour away from DC. Stefan was in heaven! Two older kids to play with, a playroom full of toys and a house in which you could easily get lost. It was very hard for him to leave that place.

We did some sightseeing in DC for a day, but it was very hot and humid. The pictures speak for themselves, the level of enjoyment while walking outside was minimal.

We learned that Virginia has thousands of caves and our friends took us to one of the best around there – Luray Caverns. It was impressive.

From Virginia we flew to US Virgin Islands to explore USVI National Park. I will have a separate post for that park, but overall great beaches. I wish it wasn’t that far from the West Coast.

In August, Stefan started TK. How quickly time flies. He enjoys the company of his friends and really loves learning new things at school.

For Halloween he asked to be a bat, so I scoured Pinterest for some ideas and made him a costume. He hosted a party for some of his friends on Halloween night. Our neighborhood gets quite lively on Halloween.

In November, we went to Las Vegas with friends. Thank goodness for the stroller. We walked a lot and Stefan was happy to hop in a stroller whenever possible.

In December, we celebrated Stefan’s 5th birthday at Pretend City, where he had a blast with his friends.

My dad came over and we celebrated Christmas together at home.

We took our annual family pictures at Crystal Cove this year.

The end.