May 2025 - Iceland

The highlight of May was going to Iceland with the Sweeny clan to celebrate Mom & Dad's 50th anniversary. It was Mom, Dad, Anne, Adam & Karen, Jonny & Michelle, Brendan, and Kyle & I. It was absolutely beautiful and fun to spend time together as adults. Mike watched our kids while we were gone and now they all want him to come and live with us.

We stayed in a great house on the Golden Circle. It was a wonderful home and location in Reykholt. This was the view from our bedroom window:

Day 1:

Exploring Reykjavik. We went to City Hall, Hallgrimskirkja Church, the Solfar sculpture, and Harpa Concert Hall. We had lunch at the famous Baejarin's Beztu sausage stand.

Day 2:

Faxi waterfall only a few minutes from our house, Geysir, Gullfoss Falls, and Bruarhold Canyon with beautiful greenish blue water. We stopped for lunch at Efsti Dalur Farm where they converted the top level of the barn into a cafe where you can eat lunch while you watch the working farm and cows below, complete with amazing, fresh cheese, milk, butter, and ice cream; local produce; fresh beef; and homemade bread. After lunch we soaked in the Secret Lagoon.

Day 3:

We took a ferry to Westman Islands where our family lived before emigrating to the US. We saw puffins, a rock that trapped a troll from eating a little boy and his cow, went to a Family History museum on the island, and saw where our family homes were located (they are no longer standing). We rode the ferry back and went to Glúfrabúi & Seljalandsfoss waterfalls, saw the Ormskot family farm, Skogafoss Waterfall, and black sand beach, basalt cliffs, puffins, and sea arches near Reynisfjara. The farm where our family lived was lush and green and had a waterfall coming down behind it. Absolutely breathtaking.

Day 4:

Kerid crater and Thingvellir National Park.

Day 5:

Katla Ice Caves. We got to hike through a glacier on top of a volcano, so the clear blue ice was mixed with ash in some layers. The terrain changes every day so 2 scouts have to go out every morning and create new paths for guides going out each day. While we hiked the ice caves Adam and Karen explored nearby and found a Yoda cave.

Day 6:

Anne flew back to cheer Wylah on at her graduation from IU. We went to the Bridge Between Continents where the tectonic plates meet and explored more in Reykjavik. Brendan went to Haifoss falls, which were amazing and also had tons of sod houses nearby.

It was a wonderful trip!

We came back home in time to celebrate Alexa turning 14. She had lots of friends over for karaoke. We took her and Chloe to the lantern festival for one of her gifts, and then she wanted lots of new nail stuff which is her current obsession. She has gotten really, really good at nail art and design.

Tyler received the prestigious Hope of America award at his school. They asked that it be a suprise and that he dress up so we staged a fake violin recital for him to dress up for and said the school called Kyle about some unreturned books we needed to sort out...