Europe - Nov 2007

I'm so embarrassed that it is almost May and I am just now getting to posting about our trip to Europe...in NOVEMBER! I actually did a slide show right when we got home, but lost track of the editing process and then wondered if people really cared about ALL those photos. Now of course I'm kicking myself because I've forgotten little details that I'm sure I would have recorded if I'd done it right away. Oh well, better late than never. Here it goes!

We arrived in France at around 11:00am Paris time and met up with Paul's parents, and three of his brothers and their spouses who were already there. We had a quick lunch near the Sacre-Coeur. We then headed as quickly as we could to the Muse d'Orsay, and the Louvre. Of course I have NO pictures of either of these things, but I must say the the Muse d'Orsay blew the Louvre out of the water. I have said before that I'm no art expert, but I know what I like. And I LOVE Van Gogh, Renoir, Monet, Manet, Degas, Manet, and Cezanne. It was a complete feast for the eyes. It's not as overwhelming as the Louvre, and for a novice like me there were so many "familiar" pieces that made it so interesting. Unfortunately due to a strike by city workers while we were there they closed the museum early and I left feeling like I wanted much more. We headed over to the Louvre and hit the highlights. I had been to Paris 8 years ago for just one day. It was fun to see it again with Paul this time and take it in a bit more. We got some Crepes and called it a night after that. The next day we woke early, rented cars and headed to...

NORMANDY

Probably my most favorite place in France was Normandy. I cannot describe the spirit and feeling that is there. I was so taken back by the history and events that took place in such a beautiful landscape. I really feel like every American should visit there and understand what real sacrifice is.

View from the cemetery of Omaha beach.


In the cemetery.

The grounds and light were just so beautiful that it was nice to just walk around.

There are still remnants of the floating bridges and artificial harbor that was built in the days following D-Day.

There was this great little town near Normandy called Bayeux. We had to take advantage of all the quaint French architecture and pose for some pics.

Here is some pics of all the girls, and all the boys.

Bayeux had THE BEST baguettes EVER! I could die at how scrumptious the ham and cheese baguettes I had in this town were. If I could have bought a dozen to take home I would have. The french really do have a corner on that market. Why can't you find that taste here?

The next day we woke early again and caught the chunnel to London. I had to laugh, because when I was over that way 8 years before I had spent 5 days in London, and taken the chunnel to Paris for a day!

This was taken on the way back to France, hence the worn out faces!

I LOVE LONDON!! Seriously I would love to go back for a week. It was cold, but I just love all that there is to do and see there. Quick highlights:

Tower of London. We were late and didn't get to spend enough time here. I LOVE all the history there.

Buckingham Palace.

Really, don't waste your time waiting for the changing of the guard. It's very anticlimactic. There are too many people there anyway!

This officer/guard was much more entertaining to watch.

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.

The London Eye

Tower Bridge

It was a whirlwind day with other highlights including eating at Wagamama, and getting totally ripped off by the dollar vs. Pound currency exchange. Whaddaya do?

The next day we headed to Versailles! This was a lot of fun. I was blown away by the size of the Palace, and how these people lived. Wacky if you ask me! The gardens were massive, and I really want to go back and see them in the summer time.

We had to get a little romantic looking out toward the massive gardens.

Here we are on a pause in our tour of the palace.

One of the funny things is that most every one's favorite place was the cottage of Marie Antoinette. It was of course much more humble than the palace, but had so much more character.

We made it back to Paris in time to freeze to death waiting to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It took FOREVER and I must admit made me a little nauseous. If your budget is tight when you visit France, I'd suggest taking in the view from the bottom.

The next day we parted ways with Paul's parents and his brother Dave and wife Ashley. They stayed in France for another day or two and we headed to Rome, Italy with his other brother Steve, his wife Quinn, and another brother Ryan and his wife Sue. ROME WAS AMAZING! I seriously loved every minute of it. OK, not when the owner of the apartment we were renting couldn't speak English and was yelling at us in Italian because she needed our whole payment in advance in cash before we could stay there. Thank goodness for cell phones, and translators.

About the apartment we rented...

Excuse the extremely unflattering picture of me, but we had to show what we saw out the window of the apartment. Yup! That's the Pantheon...right out the window. It was awesome!

Here we are waiting for the landlord. How crazy is that? I will definitely look into apartment rentals again on a trip like this. It was so great to be able to come back at the end of the day and not head to our separate hotel rooms. It really gave an authentic feel to the whole trip too.

One of the best things about Rome is that we walked EVERYWHERE! It was fairly easy to navigate and nothing was very far away. The first day we hit the Colosseum, the Forum, Trevi Fountain, the Spanish steps, and even more I'm sure.

We laughed at "Caesar" taking a smoke break.

We ate our fair share of Gelatto!

On our last full day there we went to the Vatican. WOW! I could not get enough of that place. We were lucky to find a GREAT tour guide from Seattle, WA who took us through the museums before entering the Sistine Chapel. I loved seeing all of that work by Michelangelo with my own eyes. TRULY FASCINATING!

If I would have been on top of it and posted about this right after we got home I'm sure I'd have a lot more to say. I can say though that I LOVE traveling and learning about the world outside my little shell. It can be uncomfortable being in a foreign land, but it is an adventure. The best part about the whole trip was being with these great people:

Mix-Maxx

This dude cracks me up!

(all photos' taken with a telephoto lens so he had no idea he was being photographed)

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Isn't he handsome?

Two of my favorite pictures of my dad on his mission for our church in Holland.

Nora adores her Papa!

Dad doing his favorite job...dishes!

I just wanted to take a quick minute to let my dad know how much I LOVE HIM! I have THE BEST DAD! I learned so much from him and still do. Last year I did a quick birthday post and everything I wrote there is so true and even more prevalent today in my life.

I LOVE YOU DAD!

More Fun Family Visits!!

OK, so I'm feeling bad that I forgot to add this picture to the last post where I mentioned Ella's play. Here she is (again with the stage make-up) with her other Grandma (my Mom), and the flowers she gave her for opening night. It was so sweet. Ella just loved it and felt so important. I'm so glad my Mom thought of that, because I did nothing...I'm a loser.

So, on to the next weekend of events. My sister Shauna and her husband Brian made a stop on their way down to Rocky Point Mexico, and then stopped back in on their way up. It was so fun to see them and much too short. They have three boys, Zack, Nick and Alex. Lucky for me I get to see them again next weekend.

We got together for dinner with my brother and his family while they were in town and I had to get some photos. I have been wanting to document how incredible my sis and her hubby are.

Here is Brian with three of my four kids. When he is around he pays SO MUCH attention to the kids. They treat them like their own...even better...more like Grandparents treat grand kids. I LOVE that they love my kids and let them know it. When we were up in Utah over Spring break there was one night when Nora was in Brian or Shauna's arms the WHOLE night. She loved every second of it.

Here is Aunt Shauna pushing Nora in the swing. This was HUGE for me. C'mon ladies, you know how it is when you have a child that yearns for the swing, and only the swing. It's like your held prisoner to it the whole time you are there. The best thing about it is that Shauna makes it out to be the best thing she could be doing with her time. Again, having people love your kids like that is priceless.

Like Mother, like son. Here is 16 (almost 17) year old Zack taking his turn with the swing duties. I'm sure he is much too macho to admit this, but he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself too. He is such a great cousin. It can't be easy being the oldest cousin by 5+ years!

The older girls loved teasing Zack and trying to be as tall as he is! He is so cute with them and I love him for it. I feel so bad that I didn't get any pictures of the twins. Shauna has 13 year old twins that are just too fast for my camera lens. I'll have to get some pics when I see them next week.

Long story short:
Aunts and Uncles like this are worth well more than their weight in gold. Both of my sisters married guys who would do ANYTHING for my kids and treat them as if they are their own. When we walk into a room my sister Heather's husband Bruce scoops up each kid, gives them the biggest hugs and kisses, and makes them feel extra special. What that means to a Mom is too big for words. We are truly blessed with extended family on both sides. These family visits are the best thing ever. There is no replacement for the time you give to family. Thanks guys for taking the time to come and visit. We sure love you!