2014: The Year of The Summer in Review

At the beginning of the year we hoped 2014 would be The Year of The Summer and we are happy to say that we successfully avoided Winter this year!

The year started in Chile with our dear friends Joan and Mayira,

and their wonderful family who accepted us as their own.

In January and February we were able to enjoy the blistering Summer heat in Vitoria for a few weeks.

In February we celebrated this little one's first birthday.

But soon the visa madness was upon us again and in February (and going into March) we had a last minute surprise visit to South Africa to sort out some paperwork. 

Hello Cape Town! 

We haven't seen you in a long time (3 years!)

We loved the opportunity to catch up with friends and family:

And enjoy some of our favourite activities in Cape Town such as a walk on Hout Bay Beach,

and picnics at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.

We visited Rio over the Easter weekend and really enjoyed getting to know this festive city. 

In a continuation of the visa saga we were back in Lima in May, for 11 weeks this time. 

Whilst in Peru we squeezed in some sneaky weekends away. 

We loved visiting Arequipa and the Colca Canyon,

and hiking in Huaraz.

In July we finally received our 1 year Brazilian work visas after a whole year of drama and red tape.

With much relief we were back in Vitoria where we enjoyed many walks on the beach, sunny days on the beach with friends, and meals out with friends and colleagues.

In September we moved to a much more comfortable apartment. Justin now has a 5 min walk to work, skips the traffic and comes home for lunch. 

This is the amazing view we get to enjoy every day:

In September we jetted off to Costa Rica for the first real holiday of the year (true story!)

We loved exploring this amazing eco-friendly country, animal and bird spotting, and some much needed R&R. 

In October this precious girl turned 4. Stop growing already! 

During the year Justin also travelled for work and made 3 trips to the Netherlands; in March for project related meetings, in April for the 3rd leg of his ADP course, and in November for the 4th and final leg of the ADP course. 

The new Markthal in Rotterdam. 

An unusually sunny day for November! 

The November trip also included a stop over in Dubai. 

And then it was the end of the year and time to squeeze in one last holiday for the year: Patagonia! 

We will end the year where it started, in Chile. 

We are super excited to spend the first few days of the New Year with this special couple!

And then it's back to Vitoria to see what the New Year holds for us.

Sunset from our balcony 

Wishing y'all a a very Happy New Year filled with blessings.