Gelato and Goodbyes from Venice!

July 6, 2024

Saying goodbye to this special group wasn’t easy. Many tears were shed and lots of big group hugs were given. There was definitely Moondance magic in the air with this crew! They loved each other big, laughed hard, and were excited for each and every day. Thank you for sharing each of them with us for the past two weeks! Reed and I love each of them and they all played such important roles in making this group what it was! Although we are sad to see them go, we have even more fun memories to catch you up on from our final days together!

On the third, we settled into our hotel for the next two nights, showered, and changed into clean clothes after being reunited with our duffel bags! We had a bit of chill time while everyone freshened up, and then we walked down the street to the local super market. This tiny town of Claut, Italy doesn’t have much to offer, but it does have a killer snack selection at the market! Tate, Riles, Caroline, and Elizabeth were the first to discover the super market and let’s just say they went BIG with their purchases! Their giggles and laughter poured out of the room while they were huddled over ice cream and other treats. The rest of the group joined in on the snack run and we all had an afternoon pick-me-up full of Italian chips and chocolates. The sugar rush picked up the energy and the group pushed all of the beds together in one of the rooms to have space for everyone to sit and hang out. This group loves to be together all the time and it’s been amazing to watch how close they became as a whole. They laughed, screamed, and chatted the afternoon away until it was time for dinner. Dinner was the usual first course, pasta (of course!), and pork and potatoes for the second course. We surely haven’t been leaving any meal hungry! With full bellies we gathered around in a circle for Moonup. One of the questions was “what is the spirit animal of the person to the left of you?” This question provoked laughter and also thoughtfulness as we commented on our friends’ most defining qualities. Jean said that Alison would be a sea otter because of her kindness and friendship to all. Moonups have been such a special time for this group to grow even closer!

On the 4th of July, we woke up to blue skies and sunshine!! We woke up the crew by playing the national anthem, and although we weren’t physically in the US, we wouldn’t let it stop us from celebrating! The group has mastered the wake up, roll out of bed, and head to breakfast in pjs act which has allowed us to squeeze in every minute of sleep possible. Once again, Lauren and Caroline woke up snuggling and we were all eager about the day of canyoneering ahead of us! We had delicious homemade croissants for breakfast, and of course plenty of Nutella!! After breakfast we threw on our swimsuits and made the short walk down to the river to meet our canyoneering guide, Everisto! We walked a bit up the canyon to reach the place where we would start our water adventure! Canyoneering is a thrilling activity where we repel, slide, swim, and jump our way down the crystal clear blue river. Although the start of the canyon looked a bit intimidating, we were all laughing and dancing after our first repel. Charlotte fearlessly led the way, like she often does, and watching her take on the first repel gave the rest of us the confidence we needed! For the next few hours, we squealed and laughed as we made our way down steep repels and slides. Tate’s facial expressions might have been the highlight of the activity. Another favorite moment from canyoning was when Elizabeth went down one of the slides first and the outfitter gave her such a big push that he too fell and went sliding. The group was near tears they were laughing so hard. Canyoneering was definitely one of the groups favorite activities!

After drying off in the sun and having one last ham and cheese sandwich for lunch, we made our way back to our hotel where we sat in the courtyard tanning and listening to 4th of July inspired music! When it got too cloudy, the group decided it was a good idea for an afternoon gelato break. You can never have too many scoops of gelato when you’re in Italy! The family-owned gelato shop was closed for a lunch break, but when they saw us walking up, they gladly opened the doors to serve us! There were a few other locals sitting in the store, and Caroline told them that we were a choir group from the States. We immediately broke out into song and did our best to perform When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars. Our constant giggling (and definitely not the sound of our voices ;)) might have given it away that we weren’t actually a singing group! Lauren then added on by saying that we not only sang, but danced too! We left the store signing and dancing with our delicious cones of gelato in hand! By the time we got back to our hotel, the sun was back out and we continued with our sunbathing, chatting, and music listening! Will jumped for joy when we played Zach Bryan’s new album! We went back to the supermarket in the afternoon and picked up some more of our new favorite treats, Italian chips (we specifically love the lime and bbq flavors!!) and Ritter Sport Chocolate bars! You all might get lucky and get to try some of these group favorite treats if we can restrain ourselves from eating them all before the group gets back to the US!! This time the sugar caused us all to crash and the most of the group fell asleep in the “mega bed” for a quick nap before dinner. After another great dinner, the group got to bed early in preparation for our Venice day and their all nighter on the last night!

On the ride to Venice we found out that Riles can sing and he might just be the next big pop star! Once arriving in Venice, Lauren, Alison, Alice, Jane, Tate, Caroline and Hailey went to a place called Brunch Cafe for lunch and they feasted on Japanese fluffy pancakes, smoothies, avocado toast, and French toast! It was so delicious and every plate was cleaned. Across the island, Reed, Jean, Riles, Will, Charlotte, and Elizabeth hit up the McDonalds and tried the different menu items that aren’t available in the US! We reunited and spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and exploring. While Jane, Alison, Caroline, and Charlotte tried on clothes at an Italian store called Subdued, Hailey, Jean, Riles, and Tate sat on the chairs outside and waited for the girls to come out for a fashion show. Will and Reed opted for a bookstore instead and both came out with many new books! After we were shopped out, we had our banquet dinner at a traditional Italian pizza spot. We couldn’t leave Italy without one more pizza! Although we were stuffed from the pizza, there’s a rule in this group that there is ALWAYS room for dessert!! We waited in a long line for gelato at a famous place called Gelateria Galletta, a place where the gelato is in tin cans rather than piled high – that’s how you know it’s good! While waiting we sang songs and enjoyed the free entertainment on the streets of Venice! The wait was well worth it and we all treated ourselves to three scoops to celebrate our last night in Italy! We sang our way back through the alleyways with cones and brioche buns full of gelato in hand. Tate, Hailey, Alice, and Jean held pigeons in San Marco square on our way back from dinner and gelato! We had a special final Moonup on the canal and all shared why we love another and love Moondance. Reed and I gave our superlatives and all spent time reflecting on how special these past two weeks were.

If this group knows how to do anything, it’s devouring a sweet treat, pretending to be a choir, and having a good time. There’s been no shortage of laughter this trip. At our final Moonup, Alice and Charlotte both said that one of their favorite things about this group was that they never went more than an hour without laughing. They couldn’t have said it any it better. Reed and I are so sad to see them go, but we are confident that they will stay in touch as they have already been planning their reunion trips! This group truly was so special and it was a joy having them with us in Italy for an adventure of a lifetime!

All our Moondance love!!!

Best,

Hailey and Reed

Italian Paradise

July 3, 2024

Checking in from the stunning Dolomites! We hope that y’all are doing well because we are thriving here across the pond in Italy! We wanted to start this update off by saying thank you for sharing your wonderful kiddos with us. We have had the best time so far and this group has something special about it!! The group has high energy, endless laughs, and so much love for one another. Reed and I feel lucky to be their leaders! Each one of them helps make this group what it is, and we can’t wait to see how they grow even closer during our final few days together!

Since we last wrote, we have been growing even closer as a group and continuing our adventures throughout the mountains! On Saturday, we had one of our most challenging treks yet, but the group handled it like champs. We began the day with pastries and hot coco and started our hut to hut trek. Charlotte and Will were our LODs and kept the spirits high as we embarked on our 11 mile trek. Much of the morning was an uphill journey, but after making it to the top of the saddle we saw the beautiful lake below that we were headed to for lunch. We enjoyed a much needed breather and prosciutto and cheese sandwiches! After fueling up we began our second uphill stretch to make it to the top of the mountain where we would be spending the night. Elizabeth led the pack the entire hike and kept the positive vibes high! The last portion of the trek was in the snow which was a challenging but fun experience! Tate had us all laughing when he took a wrong step and sank all the way into the snow. Caroline helped pull Tate out of the snow and we made our last push up to the top. We were rewarded with a 360 degree view of the mountains, cold Cokes, and delicious pastries that were demolished in minutes! We all enjoyed afternoon naps and a delicious dinner before having a fun Moonup and hitting the hay!

We woke up the next day and put on harnesses and helmets to begin our trek down through old World War I tunnels. We had to use headlamps to guide us through the dark, cave-like tunnels, and it was such a unique experience. After our morning trek, we enjoyed lunch at a beautiful grassy spot where we did cheers, stunts, flips, and tricks! Caroline showed us her back handspring, Riles discovered he could do a cool twisty flip, and Lauren, Alison, Jane, Caroline, and Hailey made up a Moondance cheer! We spent the rest of the afternoon trekking to our next rifugio where we enjoyed chocolate chip cake and friendship bracelet making until dinner! We had another amazing Moonup looking out at the mountains and Will shared his favorite quote, one by Lady Gaga, that had us all laughing. Will makes the group laugh at the very best of times and it always comes out of the blue in the best way possible! We ended Moonup with our new favorite game, the marshmallow game, taught by Alison!

We woke up to rain and thunderstorms the next day, but the group made the most of it by having a Taylor Swift sing along and dance party while we waited for the storm to pass. Riles is an undercover “Swiftie” and had us all smiling when he knew the lyrics to the song Cardigan. We used a gap in the rain to make the short trek up to the Cinque Torri, meaning five rocks, where we would spend the next two days rocking climbing and exploring. After making it to our rifugio, we snacked on delicious pastries and chocolates. Another storm rolled in and we unfortunately weren’t able to rock climb as planned, but the group kept the spirits high by playing games like marshmallow, poison dart frog, and ninja to pass the time until our rooms were ready in the rifugio. After we got settled into our rooms, we all had some much needed time to rest and relax after the past week of trekking! We napped, read, journaled, and chatted until it was time for another delicious Italian dinner. The dynamic duo Lauren and Tate were our LODs for the day and led us through a hilarious Moonup. At the end of Moonup, we saw other guests of the rifugio run outside for the sunset and we quickly followed suit. It was one of the most stunning sunsets we have ever seen with the fading light hitting each mountain peak differently. It was a magical Moondance moment!

We woke up to blue skies and sunshine! It was a bit chilly but after having the most delicious breakfast yet, we were ready to go climbing! Jane had tears of joy when she ate the chocolate croissants and we all went back for seconds on the pancakes! Everyone in the group went climbing on the rock face, and after everyone tried the faces at least one, Alice, Tate, Jean, Hailey, Jane, Alison, Riles, and Charlotte all did multi-pitch climbs! Charlotte, Jean, and Alice were our rock climbing all-stars! We spent the afternoon relaxing and Lauren was helping people crack their backs and when it was Tate’s turn, he accidentally let a fart slip out and we all fell to the floor laughing. We ended the day with an impactful Moonup led by Will and Alison!

This morning we woke up in a cloud and enjoyed another delicious breakfast filled with pancakes, scrambled eggs, chocolate croissants, pastries, and more! This rifugio had the best breakfast by far and the group went to sleep talking about how excited they were for it in the morning! We had an easy hike down the mountain and then we transferred by van to a tiny town in the mountains where we will spend the next two nights!

This group has gotten so close and it has been amazing to watch the friendships that have formed. Thank you again for sharing your wonderful kiddos with us! Each of them brings something unique and special to this group! We are going to soak up our time together over the next few days! Talk soon!

Best,

Hailey and Reed

Shoutouts:

Thank y’all so much for allowing me to go on this trip. It has been an amazing experience! Love, Elizabeth

Thank you for giving me this opportunity for this trip I have made lifetime memories. Can’t wait to see y’all. Love, Tate

Thank you all so much for allowing me to go on this Moondance. It’s been the greatest experience in my camping experiences and I’ve made so many wonderful memories with the greatest people in the greatest place. I love you all so much! Love, Charlotte

Thank you so much for letting me go on this Moondance. I have had so much fun and made so many new friends. Love, Alice

Thank y’all so so so much for letting me go on this trip!! I have had the best time ever and I’m so grateful for everything! Lots of love -Alison.

Thank you so much for this opportunity to go on this trip! I am having the best time and I’m so so grateful for y’all! Love you so much -Jane.

Thank y’all so much for sending me on this awesome trip! I’ve had the best time ever and made so many best friends. I can’t wait for a trip and I’ll see y’all soon! Love Lauren

Ps Hailey’s coming to dinner with us in Venice

Thank you so much for the best two weeks ever. I had so much fun and it was an amazing experience. I am so sad to leave. I love y’all so much!!! Caroline

Thank y’all so much for letting me go on this trip. I have had an amazing time and can’t wait to see y’all in a few days. Love y’all. Riles

I have had the most fun ever on this trip, thank you so much for letting me go!! I will be sad to leave all my new friends, but happy to use you guys again. Love you!!! –Jean

Thank you guys so much for sending me on this trip!! It has been awesome, and I’m excited for the rest of the summer. I also read 100 Years Of Solitude since I know dad loves it, and it was totally awesome. Love you guys! –Will

OVER AND OUT – Hailey

Ciao from Cortina!

June 29, 2024

Ciao friends and family!!

We are so excited to have your kids here with us in Italy for an incredible two week adventure! Everyone arrived safe and sound on Monday morning and the high energy they brought was felt immediately! We started our journey together by making our way to the picturesque ski town of Cortina! Cortina was the home of the 1956 Winter Olympics and will be the home for the next winter games in 2026! On our drive over, Alison and Jane agreed that the views looked almost fake and like a desktop screensaver. After settling into our hotel for the next two nights, we walked into town for our first dinner together. We enjoyed pizza, pasta, and great conversations. Jonas’ GoPro turned into a food channel and Lauren and Elizabeth worked on mastering the cheese pull with their pizza! After dinner we had our first Moonup, a key part of each Moondance day where we grow closer as a group and get to each other more and more each night. Our Moonup location was overlooking the beautiful snow capped mountains and rolling green hills that surrounded us, it was the best welcome to Italy ever!

Our first full day together was filled with bonding and adventuring as we hiked up to a gorgeous waterfall for a Via Ferrata! The Via Ferrata, also known as the Iron Road, are paths along the mountain ridges where we clip into cables and climb up and down the mountains right on the ridge! We hiked down to the bottom of a waterfall and then made our way back up so that we could walk behind the falling water. Despite getting a little bit wet, the group was laughing and chatting the whole way! In the evening we walked in town again and enjoyed another delicious dinner. On our way back to our hostel, we stopped for our first of many scoops of gelato of the trip! The Twix and pistachio flavors were fan favorites and we all agreed that ending your night with a sweet treat is the best!

We began our trekking section the next day with our LODs, leaders of the day, Lauren and Riles leading the pack along with Jonas and Elizabeth! Although we trekked for a little bit in the rain, the group stayed positive and we were rewarded with a warm rifugio and hot chocolates! Once we arrived at the rifugio, the sun had come back out and Riles, Tate, Caroline, Jean, and Alice hiked up to the cave while the rest of us sun bathed and had handstand contests! Lauren and Riles led us in a meaningful Moonup and we could feel the group growing so much closer. It was a wonderful first day of trekking!

We woke up the next morning to trek for our home for the next two nights, another homey rifugio with breathtaking views! The trek was a bit more challenging, but Alice and Caroline kept checking in on the group and keeping the spirits high. The highlight of the trek was for sure the many cows that we got to see and pet! Tate, Alison, Alice, and Hailey became cow whispers. While the rest of the group trekked ahead, they stayed behind and made a new cow best friend and named her Girdie. They also saw a pretty interesting sight and you’ll have to be sure to ask them about it ;)! After a morning of trekking, we came up on a beautiful light green yet clear lake. There’s an unspoken rule on Moondance that if you see a body of water, you have to jump in! Despite the water being freezing, the group insisted that we get in! Charlotte was the first to brave the water and she ended up jumping in four times! Will and Jean were slightly hesitant to jump in, but they both expressed how glad they were after. It was definitely a group bonding experience all braving the freezing water together!

We spent the rest of the afternoon soaking up the sun in the lawn chairs outside of the rifugio and exploring the beautiful area around us. Riles went marmot chasing while Tate went searching for cows. Tate has a new found love for cows and we wouldn’t be surprised if Tate tried to sneak a cow home in his suitcase! It was an amazing afternoon of exploring and relaxing under the sun. One of the Italian servers at our rifugio pulled out his guitar and serenaded us while we took in our incredible surroundings. After a delicious dinner, Tate and Caroline led us through a great Moonup outside as the sun began to set. We spent the rest of the daylight petting cows and listening to Reed play the guitar on the porch. It was truly a perfect Moondance day!

Yesterday we woke up to blue skies and sunshine! After a yummy breakfast full of pastries and plenty of Nutella, we set out on a day hike around the rifugio. The hike was challenging, but the views once we made it to the top of the saddle were incredibly rewarding. We took in the 360 degree views of mountain ranges while enjoying our prosciutto and cheese sandwiches and listening to music. Tate and Alice led the group down and back to rifugio where we all enjoyed a cold beverage and a break from the sun. Riles, Jonas, Charlotte, Alice, Jean, Alison, Jane, and Tate went back to the lake for an afternoon dip. Jean was the photographer and videographer while the rest braved the cold water again! We enjoyed another delicious dinner and ice cream for dessert before getting to bed early to prepare for our longest hike in the morning.

This is truly a special group of kids and they have all become so close. It has been amazing to watch their connections and friendships grow. Thank you so much for sharing your kiddos with us, this special group wouldn’t be the same without each and every one of them!

Best,

Hailey and Reed

SHOUTOUTS:

Here are a few words from our crew!

Hey mom and dad! My group and leaders are awesome and I’m having so much fun. The trekking is so hard but the views are so worth it. I’m so grateful y’all sent me here. I love y’all and can’t wait for an awesome trip! 

Love Lauren

Hey fam! I’m having an absolute blast in the Dolomites. I have met the best people ever. The trekking can be very challenging but it is so worth it. Italy is so beautiful and I’m so happy to be here. I can’t wait to see y’all

Love Elizabeth

Hey y’all! I’m having the best time ever!!! We have been trekking a bunch and the views are amazing, currently sitting at a restaurant in the clouds writing this. Everyone on the trip is so nice and funny, I am so grateful to be here! Hey Abomb I hope you love all the letters I wrote!! I can’t wait to get everyone presents when we go Venice!!

Lots of love, Alison

Hey! I am having the best time ever! The views here are crazy and I can’t wait to show y’all everything that we have done. We have been trekking a lot and although some are tough it is so worth it for the views and the food we get at the Refugio. I love my group so so much they are all so sweet and caring and we have a lot in common! I can’t wait to tell y’all everything!!

Love you lots, Jane

Caroline- Hey mom and dad! I am having so much fun here in Italy. We have trekked so much and although it’s really difficult the views are AMAZING. I love my group and I have gotten so close with everyone. I also wanted to let you know that I was ok without my bag and I did finally get it. I love y’all so much and I am so grateful for this experience!! Thank you for sending me.

Riles- Hey mom and dad! I am having lots of fun here in Italy. My group is amazing and I can’t wait to see y’all soon. Love y’all and will see y’all soon.

Will- hi mom and dad! Italy is so amazing. It’s hard work trekking but it’s so much fun. I can genuinely say that I like everybody in my group, which is an upgrade from last year. I’ve been napping a lot. Sending love to y’all and Chris and Jack, miss you guys.

Tate- Hi guys I’m doing great. I have already created a large bond with my group and have made lifelong friendships. The views are incredible and I can’t wait to show you. Love y’all.

Jean- Hey Mom and Dad, I’m great! My group is awesome and the views are amazing . I have not gotten any blisters, and I feel blessed for it. The history we are learning about is cool and I’ll tell you all about it when I get home! Until then, I’m still here, and I love you so much! Tell Wright and Harrison I say hi.

Alice- Hi mom and dad I’m having so much fun and have made so many amazing friends. The hikes are hard but so worth it and the weather has been great. Love and miss y’all so much.

Charlotte- Hey mom and dad and sue sue! I miss you all so much! My leaders and group are fantastic and I’m enjoying trekking a lot and look forward to the rest of the trip! I can’t wait to see you guys when I get home I love you so much!