tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40103055097420826612024-03-14T14:46:29.274+00:00Fish &Chips: The Koenig's Do EuropeJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-18596762056336489842012-02-17T23:14:00.002+00:002012-02-17T23:15:51.663+00:00Back in America...Well, we did Europe. We spent almost 3 amazing years living out one of our lifelong dreams and we are now back stateside. <div><br /></div><div>With that, I bid adeu to the Fish & Chips blog and promise that its not forever... we WILL return to Europe again someday... and hopefully someday soon! </div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-56735538639234343082011-05-02T15:42:00.004+01:002011-05-02T15:55:18.113+01:00AmericaI realize that what I'm about to write has absolutely nothing to do with travel, but I felt that I needed to at least acknowledge such a momentous thing in our National Security. <div><br /></div><div>I woke up this morning and went about my daily routine, which includes checking my emails and my facebook. All over facebook were different posts about Osama bin Laden having been killed by our US troops. The US Navy Facebook page posted an article, so at that point, I knew that it wasn't just a <i>thing</i> people were doing on facebook. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is a strange thing to celebrate another persons death. I mean, I realize the death and destruction this man proclaims to have single handedly waged against the United states is an absolute travesty, but its an odd thing to rejoice that a human life was killed. Don't get me wrong, I'm most definitely going to be celebrating, but it's weird. </div><div><br /></div><div>It feels a little bit like a chapter has finally been able to be closed after running on much longer than it should have. Almost 10 years ago the world watched in horror as terrorists waged war on the United States. We watched with shock and anger and a sense of disbelief that this was actually happening to us on OUR turf. And then, the American people did what Bin Laden didn't anticipate; we banded together as a country and as a people and then, we waged war. </div><div><br /></div><div>For the past 10 years so many lives have been lost because of Osama Bin Laden, and not just those lost on September 11th. So many of our brave Servicemen and Women have gone into battle to defend our freedom and have not come home. So many families continue to grieve the loss of their sons, daughters, spouses, parents, friends. So, on this day when one more terrorist no longer lives to destroy lives, I will celebrate the memory and the sacrifice of those lives that were lost to protect my freedom, my liberties, and my country. </div><div><br /></div><div>Congratulations to our fantastic troops--- we all knew the day would come when you guys/gals would catch that bastard! And Congratulations to the United States of America for being able to rest a little easier knowing the man responsible for the nightmare that was September 11, 2001, will never orchestrate such devastation again. </div><div><br /></div><div>I realize that this war is not over... not by a long shot. There will always be people who want to wage war against Americans, but for this day, let us all be thankful and happy that this battle was won! </div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-1260264339242929142011-04-30T12:05:00.007+01:002011-04-30T13:05:27.005+01:00The Royal Wedding!<div style="text-align: left;">On April 29th a real life fairy tale came true. A normal, every day girl became royalty. It is something that most little girls dream of. Blame it on the Disney movies, if you will, but lets face it, I think its safe to say that no girl wouldn't want to be whisked off to live a life of actual royalty.... to become a real life princess.</div><div><br /></div><div>I toyed with the idea of going to London for the wedding for weeks. I knew I wasn't going to go and camp out for days before, so I knew I likely wouldn't get to see much of anything. I knew it was going to be a long, crowded, exhausting day. But, I also knew that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I would kick myself in the ass if I didn't go. So, when my friend Megan asked if I wanted to go, it didn't take much for me to jump all over that! </div><div><br /></div><div>Bright and early in the morning (6 am to be exact), we boarded a tour bus on the base and headed down to London. I was fully expecting to run into hoards of traffic and be stuck on the bus until 9 or 10. However, we ran into literally NO traffic. We drove into the heart of the city and I swear there was NO ONE out! It was actually kind of creepy. By the time we were in the city, it was about 7:30 or so, so its not like it was super early.... it was scary movie creepy. The bus driver dropped us off at the London eye and we started our day. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">Big Ben and Parliament bright and early Friday Morning</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1Cmy0MykuPms_ru2CY7nGNDEtRHfOlGmzfkiGyu2QX_pzu1QFx7OEzMRvQVDCxqWHY9jkBCDB7j4OTcF50v53AF43c4uRqq41R9HxRlYShxRIpCBHmhBZRLr0CzxWYTWajQoNg1j6rfL/s320/DSC_0003.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601336531893034114" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><div>Yep, people definitely camped out!</div></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2IaPz12EcFGI4bV2nUX4GsfYSyKrQDAWk4W73JQrWmlJgL6huIJ_6DGzt4vb3p79LSAej-j7-On4239jUS7FGptunD_2jBirMc1xt9XlAb2EE-qQfgI_6DNA4_BCyFtlcSP-JiRosdP3/s320/DSC_0030.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601336536858093250" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div>Some of our friends were already there and texted Megan and told her they were right at front around Westminster Abbey. We tried to find them, but never did, so we decided to head on down to Buckingham Palace. We knew the royal family was going to come out on the balcony, so we figured our odds of seeing them were a little higher there. We walked through St. James Park and made our way to Buckingham. We started out on the side, near on the gates (if you're staring head on at the Palace, we were to the left and right behind one of the gate things) and somehow managed to make our way about as close as we could get (the big area in front of the palace wasn't opened up to the crowds yet and the section right past the gates on the side held the crazy people who'd been camping out for a couple of nights. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Buckingham Palace from St. James Park</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ogIpakbhUQwUEK03nNLbS7-YojHuT7fKUl0tXiUJsyaP9qYdTyk0q6fdl656-Srx8PMrkQVexzybEiM1uJyRvBM6D4lA5GnDeR_icVkbARa_n-wNEHju9CfMR-Hib4M5whUwrPoPSrEe/s320/DSC_0044.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601336543897398002" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">There were tons of balloons!</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-cFyBZ4x9eVhfwH33nEW6nYsHFnH-r6jgNld3cuVRjfndhbVdlXqp5jH6i5iKWbLIwWDqOyIXHABd7GzfqrydngGoNxjuSqNMehjFjxZAJVPf3zhyphenhyphenvLy0Q0ffmlWpaRmkNpuGkBFHCRK/s320/DSC_0048.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601336547214379122" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div>By the time we got to the palace, it was about 8:45 or so, so we had quite a while to wait. We got to see the cars leave the palace and head towards Westminster Abbey and could hear the crowds screaming as they drove past them on the Parade route. The royal band came through quite a few times, so we had some entertainment while we waited.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZN3bWtKDWVu3vaFc15bR9dXst_5YXGvm3FpQTmRlV07CKXXH-WmVvlKGtoJwCafUoZqavo2n7RHUwUNRhngNg_SxjTU9PxvU0mgpSqMpFRt8aXU2hixFGrhHyi_Hv8Qckis6lg4RjZLHm/s320/DSC_0164.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601336551856227202" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>There were massive speakers spread throughout the city and they piped the entire ceremony live to the crowds. It was AWESOME! Everyone cheered when they said "I Do" and when they were pronounced Husband and Wife. </div><div><br /></div>I was a little nervous, I'll admit. About a week before the Daily Mail had written an article about protestors threatening to come to London on the day of the wedding and burn effigies of William and Kate, the Union Jack flag, and replicas of the crown. And lets face it, in a crowd that big, anything can happen, so my nerves were on a little bit of an alert. Luckily, the protestors stayed home and everything was okay (which probably had something to do with the 30 million pounds the British Government spent on security). The crowd was massive, but there was no malicious behavior... no negativity. The energy in the whole of London was amazing. It was incredibly positive and joyous and nothing but celebratory! It feels awesome to have been a part of it. <div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The snipers on the roof of the palace! </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0MYj-KKEo4vwg1jskInFi42FrK3vGrE5xkSHqtIHutbWuTVl4-FwI1X4jUU71Z6XvngkWN7g5EPeBcUqL8vQvePw1LKbKrvRtsTPQPt4oenTai1nIiQ8Qjfb0LhK4Htu_rrK5ZFzosPn/s320/DSC_0218.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601339348323660386" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>After the ceremony, the Royal family drove back through the parade route and down to Buckingham palace. The crowd swelled when the carriages got to the palace and I ended up not being able to see them (curse me being so short!). Once everyone was accounted for and in the palace, the police opened up the barriers and let the crowds surge forward and into the square directly in front of the palace. Megan and I stayed where we were. We both had good views of the balcony and didn't want to miss it. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">MASSIVE crowd!</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUqAoMF4mZpQ7rhVa3KuvC8AiUV3eKdWAsLJGttNiDtOK1FHPTwaLXzICOxzkaSbYiR474aZ82N0_fg_jKpS3Ol9wp2hwJ5qoy6KECTuwLhcNEuwnyGZ4ObxfBN91EhnqY3aH9nsiXgHS/s320/DSC_0177.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601338233578332610" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>After a little while, the doors opened and the royal family came out onto the balcony. The crowd went wild!!! They waved and smiled and radiated happiness. They ended up kissing twice which only spurred on the excitement. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">There they are!</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjOx4I2FwHYdkvWni-B0mE2Cyc_WSIa-nyKH2CN6VU2pM1BFszvmEHEbt_fxVST9p0Lye9HJM4cWhWutLS2RIhfGFPHYaquNJ1K-0MsXHiwa9xIxvtoQXpuL6VeoY-bvzIaYs3zKw_ZXs/s320/DSC_0232.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601338237918363362" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiansNrjdz06lmM2SYX_YNlIxVQsSAePHjw0B7zdRBSdEGkyKPtvcan56BJCm9R0gDuO5FxWYPVHginGx_lydjW_vlCRO_l7IfC0gPQYqKRjDjBZF_Bcd8omeidNu937Rv4ghDX5yxEf8g/s320/DSC_0200.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601338238486257762" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 236px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">And I finally got to see the queen!!!! (She's in yellow)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVXhuR6OooxZZZLWTWL8k66MxsAvYgezlcrvbIGEBnsFPaiZC_Z-fenCcZbMn4QQb-izLDE3QCfms_IpyiaIqDr3ac2xmmwhBD4eX5oycTYTzCCT915VWDzXY3a5_5KPuP91LTO4TTtxv/s320/DSC_0206.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601346024961163522" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 132px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">After the first kiss, the Royal Air Force did a couple of fly bys!</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoDC7Zy8dh0c-OCQVlk3E6Bt-CAfOOEQB2j9RfwQRRKR6VWxjs-N77TKvOm-jELP-MO7uN29WzSOawi7ikU-_Gca13WovyiW673D624aXSyHJd6NNMG1qfa3WJfvPnv-jB2jk-ulSc3r4/s320/DSC_0223.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601338243710421394" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">They were right over our heads!</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTT9JPKDaXALjiWJUOfrur6T7Fmooa3pjFjB0XCwOKZ_hG-bMAfTR0SwId9tqmo276YZrvR1wxqwNBrtuv-Vf-u0HD4rB_K_xMBkftNKiYPK7nwUNQ3SRSj9tTd45mdEXD-Km9SpaHJjS0/s320/DSC_0226.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601339339555460978" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">The Duke and Dutchess of Cambridge (and future King and Queen)!!!</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb8ts0gd-6Y77RQmjpU60JR8zw36k24UD8AYReItBIq1VDoGzDyYwLyVsXdr9PhB9pzyzUoo1HcCBnRvtpIpOTPbHRvYgzAamyIhyphenhyphencPxoHo-6HULr5o01DRG7bxe2pN2VdhOAXEAixLtQ1/s320/DSC_0242.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601338239685758850" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 279px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div>Afterward we let the crowd thin out a little bit and then headed to a pub to meet up with our friends for lunch. By the time we got there it was about 2 in the afternoon, so we were exhausted, starving, and most definitely more than ready for lunch. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnuJHIfE06ZhUffNRUEjw304oaObih7MmAVqx_JP9A_dqJyRn0d5sJA3med2ftECrzTPmU3BX1-58llV9HaSZr1zIKyo4XuNr2RlOtRkdHB1fmR2kYZI38_KCwm5I7M1FDKN_thjnuIOMK/s320/DSC_0243.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601339341430026610" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Walking back through St. James Park...the flowers were gorgeous!</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgl5CMxH7cnixd0OwPbSvl3jyLl7xIUoHIsiDPGKmnqlgL6S1nylcIncadRdvKUyXh-0oCfdXExTe50UzCS9VzYqG-afCUMPaeKJhft0Oxs7QQbkoYY1uSaLC54UfX-RjAPkOuriNEM0N/s320/DSC_0245.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601339351325614754" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5D1MCdVv0CH6ip5qoOJ84ftS4yFb8HVASGd9N4fBWQGtK0ZNsdMagAIDwdkkcJSfwdWp8PGoBRRysMNLSELe-H940bvjlNvD3xFI9JxDko0dQEigqoMPyTS_BoXO2KBfpHRwryTFVhQt/s320/DSC_0251.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601339356618414210" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div>After lunch we walked back to Westminster Abbey; we'd heard they were letting people in so you could walk on the red carpet and all that... but that turned out to be just rumor. We got to see them breaking everything down, and this is the best picture of the red carpet I could get.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK-ZW-Lr3O6B5qJQMPr9seN8TXR1O5is5l_Kobk2lGMLidMKYAPpiBHVoB6hZS2no7ge9lGtwoe5XDCGdNR0VEzZakB95BBT88TKmA9pfNIrx8-CqbYyFcfoOgr_2i5M8tm15wMH0BAcN/s320/DSC_0275.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601340351126861794" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">Westminster Abbey</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4bE50hL6zmUNA__AjhR6halOrN-Dx_5oB4mOryb4UrlE-zeWHfka6iLEndgYBP82HSsicj9OLRyW5LMrom0S0WV5V-dUJBVXkNy0ocIYl4URDS-JjG2BVLh5qsKw3MH0LjSshOnkyog7/s320/DSC_0276.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601340356325691138" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">While they were breaking everything down.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCIUiNLYER0KFBVNorczUMpbdiPpwOIzt4MuQjhPjNNAIQnJVNlaLPd4L8CX8qYsNm-m0euR0K2UvbxNnbuHGKS_JkmBcme5H9BNrj2haA1n15IygP7D4lgFbsj9s5eHo8wDzWE0RiOuN/s320/DSC_0257.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601340347536969682" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">There were Union Jack flags everywhere.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5wVpRqZAgi-hX_3zbOCQNC_pQY__wsrgDY1_DIPQtA1cMFmcDzG0V64YnlcNLC-TQgftj5ookmn5kJgCs5Sq5fBggx-PpjpQEVVB2uCtXTb6-XyhGfRHRcDHweCdToVClzeFfD9eQJ61/s320/DSC_0279.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601340362367600274" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div>We got back on the bus a little while later and ended up back on base around 6:00 or so. Megan had emailed her husband and told him to hunt down Christopher and plan dinner so that we could watch the wedding on TV. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was incredibly surreal to sit there, uploading pictures to the computer of the day, and watch the wedding.... to know that I was JUST there! It was awesome! </div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-24449130878554671652011-04-25T15:56:00.008+01:002011-04-25T16:31:56.301+01:00Belgium!<div style="text-align: left;">One of the huge perks about living in England is that we're within pretty easy reach of a lot of other European countries. France is the closest and easiest for us to get to and there's a ferry that goes from Dover to Calais. We've taken it before to get to Paris, but this weekend, we, along with Liz and Tim, decided to go hop the Ferry and drive from Calais to Belgium. It took us about 4 hours or so (including the drive to Dover and the 1 hour ferry ride) to get to the city of Brugge.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Leaving England</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7PgG9O9Iif7MQWiuA53lPs7f17td12kZD_9x7gi6aR99GbkHEXC2ApxyBC7r-okyHR3D2IHtTUilHb14bLQMZvHf0Xu8LCLAvd9lfiahRtuhl7R6wvgQoDOjqkLiemdGIkMFRhR7x0LyY/s320/DSC_0345.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599537131021217986" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>When we got there, we stopped into a little cafe to have some lunch and thus began our weekend of amazing food. After we ate, we headed out into the city. It was absolutely gorgeous! The architecture in Belgium is amazing... we had such an amazing time just walking around the city looking at all the different buildings. Also, we didn't think Brugge was going to be that big of a city, but it was huge! We kept walking around and finding what seemed like endless streets. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3JlcgA5LOa7HSO8SXK0748QtAXSBns5ixJt3XpKYKud8ABmDcAIac0LofpCF4yCui0zoBt3F7xtraqqe2ouw30OeGn0aXk_IZAu8fHpC7Kmwywqg7PVoYhcvCuqQmP1atLny89xfvWUU/s320/DSC_0429.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599537143623294722" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qZ5tyZDip5PQ43wTXQqa2Mnu1zfiEu9FGKCB9yeRJmyMoQraRKkPP19_NxKxTv1mJMohO5sJVOkvriDJoW4x7hiv8ofydLcC2Yx_NsD7pSzMk9DR007ZX7jWqqmuCPqTT_dbqBZX1dKh/s320/DSC_0439.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599537150208118962" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TtzY4HMwmX8IsK1T3nv9nZ_tmRoBYKG8Ff-ukV5YCrplomCjXKD4UDRxMpMzmBCpGLVQCf64CbCrG2QuD2m-ni86LHMWFQlS9bfOnQxNZSdDgyd4Dyc_FYUMrOpDfOUgi60kglu9vttD/s320/DSC_0484.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599537175116617858" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8k6b7pxrfHwP-j3Bj3uBgS5yLQgfDNYSxE6GsA44Z_9UhpI28Jc7uvHjAT5Lcom6QmMGt9ZAV2xl3NFotZP2xallZUCIIdQ0BsDTn8HdCMadyLUH80Hx1s9wehzoh6VEaMb-UnIchwzFh/s320/DSC_0491.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599538441645192530" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div>The best thing about Brugge is the chocolate shops. I swear, every where you look, there's a chocolate shop. It was a chocoholic's dream! I think we walked into probably 20 shops and that wasn't even half of them. All the shops were different, but they all smelled AMAZING! The minute you walked through the door, all you smelled was chocolate. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSVTw_cToNmffyDLoyOVOHnfBTHzUEQy11a3PG8aewQxuQ3n9kUJy6NFlufBhD1lDdarWi5q2y5XX-DqLnsr41lsqiGRiLWDyRiGmB6kElVWsy46HP7ocMIOfiM_LU7o3IhbpaCO7-3zn/s320/DSC_0468.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599537158050365058" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">Blocks of chocolate complete with hammers to break it up!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJAgO1fOiHz833ciTO19F3Fa-C7tKrliGLS0IvqJXmtOjIlraQzslDhqdwH3WG2I2nPRHrdXqftIH-TyOheTXBbUNrzeLBjvWJUBLJdKwMQjvPp2nvtjEUqS9xEPsc5qc5nR1Idfn4Iro/s320/DSC_0470.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599538433824984930" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">Leopard print chocolate...awesome!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5N9kl9HR4UMPwAUUgihh7goGLwKB7caNvVp9Uag6ASCHKUMAmVOwyP51e2hA8LbdeZ_6UvuGBbWBurYX5lwSiY57Sz5UXfBwj5Z8A_QLM8BtMLejlVaUV8zSvEW8zDuGgulo3MmmXSEQj/s320/DSC_0617.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599538463178680466" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div>We did a really bad job of actually learning about the city and what the different buildings and stuff were. It was probably the first trip we've taken where we didn't really learn the history of where we were. We had actually planned on taking a Horse and Carriage tour of the city, but we ran out of time. Honestly though, I'm okay with that... just walking around and enjoying a beautiful city is worth more than knowing tons about it. Brugge definitely fit the picture I always had of European cities. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg389o4N1-hcCo0WW0fofw8fRU8-6-DMr5SO2Qa9_cz7ksdVZnVNYjubzykvmukhG17yDv8oN7Bb3sWWFuJ5pso8-kX6k8622IfZ7TXQlz44Dw1pbFxC7VTmo3NTBAjMkaslYN38CFiZ_oj/s320/DSC_0538.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599538449559187986" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zATV9wcSRxSxYa4G29QYb2iEZPSwOLfiks4nuNinVmo77GKmld6otur_UN1ZR1OFHBdrkwssfYGs1qHvzATk0o8Q7NXMBqpSNq_UsZD3Khyphenhyphen_ctuUKD59rZ4jhP0S4pxOaFmdHHzYnQIr/s320/DSC_0552.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599538460532265762" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">Oh, and of course, we had Belgian Waffles!!! Incredible!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvDlmMpsL5g-V18TxofB13a-_eCAn6Lg1x3C8CFL4aPrIPrWFCISibdmDcWT4SlO8x8W1xMHHUcR3mCsK15Tb8-V9th877yOmU1V7GS0JPp1V5Ivnezab690J4CEvoZsOYWEYaNsjjlyWS/s320/DSC_0640.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599539635077510594" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div>After a day of walking around Brugge, we drove another hour to the Capital; Brussels to stay the night. Brussels is not only the capital of Belgium, but its also the European capital. The EU headquarters are there, which we thought was pretty cool. We ended up getting to our hotel pretty late in the evening and when we went to check in we found out that they only had 2 rooms left... the Executive Suite and the Presidential Suite! Liz and Tim ended up with the executive suite and Christopher and I somehow ended up in the Presidential Suite! AND we both ended up paying the 95 euro's we originally planned on. That stuff NEVER happens to us! It was awesome!</div><div><br /></div><div>Our room was incredible! We walked in to an awesome living room with leather furniture, a fireplace, view of the botanical gardens, and a mini-bar complete with a Nespresso Machine (I think this was Christopher's favorite part). After the living room was a huge bedroom with a king sized bed. The bathroom was walled in by glass, so you could see straight through it from the bedroom. The bathroom was incredible... I've pretty much took notes for our dream bathroom. We had a massive bowl shaped bathtub, sauna, rain shower, double sink, and heated floors. After the bathroom, there was a fitness room with a stair stepper and a stationary bike. It was most definitely the nicest hotel room we have ever stayed in! I looked online that night and if we'd decided to stay in that room the next night, it would have been over 500 euros! </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Living Room</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJH2UarUFukF2jT0bOQhnA3ZtINqKb7ygEfN_F4QD0eGCHn9dda_auwEDPWtxsF3P6KWNQShMGjL1-tBzztUl0WdYFwyeCAF40iuh-ODgXfaZsrvl-R3OFYKjcK98MDH5ieUHMs2vkm7bm/s320/DSC_0712.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599539642307399650" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bedroom</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx38uhuaXxW7bS7W8JUnPljsGrx1986BVnbuTLc4rGnY68Q50clJHzvPgdNkNlxCTGQ9mxbD1gFnJ4xeAFXmQKIuWSg0nUGKda9MKERKbuq8ohTdJSw4zyNNtCb52sVjNmBv4BbZYCaWhQ/s320/DSC_0714.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599539647125841010" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">Amazing bathtub!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi88-fZhG2sPAorsB5fmMHnED8dvGam3gOosbNnBDSBvHQ7oCPg8oexgIwASZ6B3shCl_7kdCj8I1tcpXH-8gVHOKjHos3QBme4bQjkvRMHl0e0MOOpxDkh8D1Jx2Z0cRZhj3TBOOhNPNb/s320/DSC_0716.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599539657640869602" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">Standing in the bathroom looking into the bedroom</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5S5i2HuvwBDejOFjPQMD8sSivajfZ67RV1eEg0aXmU0etmTRaA_rnIeWvYq6x5h3yz9aRs1TKzCBMwzG7PGOImXrLzsFqHFuwF8lcp_-qWVK2yJXOvR4zOvH9n4oT726ZS27UZgAjsbiw/s320/DSC_0720.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599539663245802194" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div>On Easter Sunday we woke up, had some breakfast and headed out into the city of Brussels. It was a lot more industrial and dirtier than we all thought it would be. The way the streets were designed was ridiculous. There were one way streets that weren't marked well til after you'd turned down them and it was just nuts. Needless to say, we didn't spend much time in Brussels. We all voted to head back down to Brugge for the rest of the day. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of the many cathedrals in Brussels</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTfcI84w3cTuv7CFG9w9RHlp0GRwa-QhO3r7S3r-mxr-U4exz43kvlILzIs1tsd1ZYKD5IwK1mWOhWmV3GJoTvtNJlGtcA625yRaZb7pjGEL-5pvebIFsbh-50pCuSm1OBhhjS5RwFTLwg/s320/DSC_0779.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599540817289092930" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Downtown Brussels</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0le8Fno58aoKq1ovEw14Q_PRetRmyRlnREjjhxbWXMcxMAcUa2HiPKMXpCX7bunw1_KIQfNnhLscFC133yuSv5N6Bcdyq0l3aPO5xwsxYL_ogdSF9rxsPrZtA6K80k6VHKGNlkaHEwfVh/s320/DSC_0800.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599540824550156114" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">Awesome building we drove by in Brussels</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCp4vOQCc-1FvVtLCuULvxh3VbKbLuUqO6EN3U2f6uiPNpBAsV_yuFVGPv64ayJd4YXTWMTWGvzMnw2Z5l200DBpCL_KT11bPMOBGwcG8iefjGARqydOV66HnC6NkgDhRM62mYnASWt5ky/s320/DSC_0844.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599540828383010850" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div>Once we got into Brugge, we stopped and had lunch at a cafe and it was awesome! We had Moules and Frites (Mussels and fries), which is a big thing in Belgium and a crepe with chocolate sauce and fresh strawberries. Both were delicious! </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3Fj3ahTrYbwyjYPe3nxZr3ybEcPfPXJ-W8chQ0TKYIV7dOP8L4wF789NPtatIPYTiObVVD4XGLlTYnIO2HBJRBaue9W3BZOE5JhyphenhyphenSon9CJ8OtZmEXyb5cg4byi5nINXIOiiydiaOLtDz/s320/DSC_0869.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599540838419961522" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIEIY_-eg0JJhBDWh67Fu5Zs_Pv473MLICKrrezWlPQCJCHZQs-I-sa1nUOEDrm8xiy85LSsKL94dfwt0RM8Qy8gMSHrf6td7Ds-iqPirG2TVXx87PprrDeP_5P-C2lpxUrHZUSWAeILq/s320/DSC_0870.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599540845200228802" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div>After lunch, we walked around more of Brugge (including walking into more chocolate shops) before heading back to Calais to catch the ferry back to England. It was a really quick trip, but it was really awesome. I really didn't have any sort of expectations for Belgium. It was one of those places I wanted to visit because it was so close and accessible to us, but I really didn't know what to expect. Brugge, especially, was amazing. It might be one of my favorite places that we've been. It was quaint without being small, the food was great, they had more chocolate than people, and I dont know, it was just a great time! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznHxzSsywlOCElxIwqi2KJuinJOM-XybG0Jf0gIpsN1C8B2HJ6Jfezxx4S-Tl5nO64n6UroBnJBLzHtWoTpvlba3wZkNSYRDvErKx5Lg94wmaPmeosxnnc8ZarFbLUd77dsHpzjUSCjF4/s320/DSC_0945.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599541468806272082" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHr1A_7XivYlO_ax2oSg-9BLIF0UyBdOPf3mCFFP_QrRIKSuioE7qo5RkDuzHuSxj6tR7NhqUzHA8VIwVLKLarND08h-3ubCcHfBsVR2hVnS1PRAUXCzgiXzZ40RzRpM9fgQF9BuchjZR/s320/DSC_0948.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599541472331535506" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-81041244718343556082011-04-25T14:08:00.006+01:002011-04-25T15:54:36.839+01:00Stamford, England<div style="text-align: left;">When Mymom and Grampy were in December, we came across a little town called Stamford. Though it was relatively quiet and a lot of things were closed, Stamford was a really neat little town. The big attraction in the town is the Burghley House. In December, the house was closed for the winter, so we knew we wanted to go back in the Spring and have a look.</div><div><br /></div><div>One day a couple of weeks ago, we were trying to figure out something to do and we remembered about the Burghley House so we decided to make the trip up there for the afternoon. </div><div><br /></div><div>We drove through the town again, but ended up just stopping by an antique store before heading on to the Burghley House. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Part of downtown Stamford</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHoQCcKuF-O_WKDMcihdVFLEfL3kr2QMgfoD6MbvDnnjDuk8aMjsyW8l96eF246xAxar_hbcoUiQibblykCcmOXV2axJ_qJOtPjLpbjRnqCg66RH952pueUE0GDqDZxcjPKVwFMqa129k/s320/DSC_0005.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599509007189899730" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div>Burghley House is a country house built in the 16th Century. It was built for Sir William Cecil, the High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth 1. It is a huge and gorgeous home where descendants of Cecil still live in today. For that reason, you cant see the entire house, but quite a few rooms were open. Sadly, you cant take pictures inside the house, which is a real shame, because it is GORGEOUS! Each room is different and the fabrics they used were just amazing. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXsypW7yzPhvX5VGYr_lwko94O3rz7eG2qrVnqEUhSSJZ07tQBqe9r9mjMppRvcRZjgslun3hZWobv-0SMwejdri8gKm0R6rs91zjDhauLnAHtVr1WdnkDFEdXP-KLjIxpC9CdHCrXn73/s320/DSC_0055.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599509015091220482" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">Closer picture of the house</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtK4DXS8T5x7Dk_jWlVra524Kcqhl5E_kELn5G0TKFIvDqmxEChJ83B1nImGPpOkNYwBtOxGhr7YFs6UODvr6fqjA9ej2d-DrEz2m645E9TmHmSje3HwYrC6VnvXuaimSaQfAZRCR4py1a/s320/DSC_0056.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599534183648355714" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div>One of the most famous things in the house is the Heaven Room and the Hell Staircase. You walk through the Heaven Room and are immediately taken aback by its beauty. The entire room is painted by Antonio Verrio and it is a gorgeous depiction of classic mythology. The painting looks completely 3 dimensional even though its not... it really was amazing. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Heaven Room (photo by Google Images)</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZLIauMz4HEByifbLj5UKrK2NVB0gtib1RXLE1SghghW9yDlGn1_bY2n-PbyS6WF5WEsRwmK6uhVLQkX0MDQSyMCiIdpuD3-ev5O7WkEutwYQr2P0H-kwi2WdD7OS1BxECeqcRNxHNGjR/s320/heavenroom.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599532658262733714" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 274px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>The Hell staircase is directly after the Heaven Room. It is a massive staircase that has a huge fresco on the ceiling and walls depicting hell. It was the last work commissioned by Antonio Verrio and it took him 11 months to finish the ceiling in 1697. The walls were painted a century later by a man named Thomas Stothford who was actually a children's book illustrator. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hell Staircase (Photo by Google Images)</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2OuALNbYuxi_N0qXjWZjVi3Mgb57NEBTBKtGm6andoGAtIGlB2nwVaHYCpSb3hi5V8Gdkh91ElrD3ZPhL4GPKNuDd3-tPR2b0_d4tLlEGRXMirSQhNW3PzCxTP32OUdTj2OWHJDnv0jEf/s320/hell+staircase.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599532658362307858" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>After walking through the house, we headed outside to "The Garden's of Surprise". The entire garden is sort of walled in and hidden from the outside. There are different parts of the garden including a sculpture garden and then the main part of the garden that is filled with all sorts of things like sun dials, obelisk's, water features, a mirrored maze and so much more. I think it took us longer to go through the garden than the house. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of the many sculptures...</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14NWHs2XelPgJZ67OpcfzeUjbsnl2UgN8TZdUFHKlCvPITfchTPXfotf66jvZxEEAPIP9EW5aZ7IdOlNDGq8oTJ0sdbgKCHlG_t50JV3t13XSdXXvRoh7vGY89xZQ_qoYo88lTCN_6Jn5/s320/DSC_0121.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599509023761774994" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Inside the sculpture Garden</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR3R23uIQfCCeCsmUUmFgdXV1xYiBif5c7O766JT3sxAAWsrO1wLCJuxQAIqN56ekoaFYdHIe6NwZwzYq2IGzi3FAl9bCilypLZ5R0RbikUonyGJo0sBOrs3pfQcnMr6EE_pg2XOrbk7Qw/s320/DSC_0126.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599509035036589202" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Christopher and his favorite sculpture</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4w0RPIrnWC45GdfJt1RuLWHMASoCB1cZIoVhVBPKg7yrDxgtgxo3rvonYtB8TWNIRWJKHnGStxfEgW_78fFF8WEmZht33UyFVdnLtHTFRJ0gyWMeIwXxLEW0xgIh_lrP0rtqPCWqfg8g/s320/DSC_0214.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599532668510022962" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sculptures on the Water</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1JxDK-_6PnZe_vxJcjNrsOlpqiI3vIcYCH4Fv-wAwc7APCXZmx6uHt1xeudSbTzoWK-4jiZ5BlRQRkoiHgRhBSxpzsxYu8ukNVTnEBKV-HBOFC1WXGZy6cIcXdnqEmYi1x9el4yRDp-mY/s320/DSC_0140.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599509043981608450" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Neptune's Grotto</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuEGioLZOHA4MSMl63FjOGpnLIVbZd93By58NCEaUKKtJqh4AOLl4YuhWEW7afzR5KewjQ8z_WX3Tx-gXYZy70IzIAg0AnJJJWw2gwbr7gUe0x8mAfNG-Cecetfd5X5KSS7O8hba7NV_g/s320/DSC_0287.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599532676919386114" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-43188626704728282372011-04-25T13:38:00.003+01:002011-04-25T13:58:45.222+01:00Springtime in England<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxaGbahnqMRLFMBRxaEwF86_r4z5HDWihAE5AHxAXuHlMUDGVSv-gApLL0Bfk7PEFMOpJr1u8A8-gy5KP-fhxpVH7w4f7m-h2rGMX9L2W9cOlOH7bNdAp9uoWZU4CVcy2CqDV1bzjraWw5/s1600/P4080111.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a>After months and months of nothing but cold, wet, dreary, nasty weather, God gives all the people in England the gift of Springtime. <div><br /></div><div>A couple of weeks ago the weather finally decided to stop being wishy washy and going back and forth from crappy to beautiful and Spring arrived in full swing. One Friday, Christopher had off from work and we decided to go on a picnic in the park in Huntingdon with Liz and Tim. We brought Angus with us and he had a great day! </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-lxeIA13YvYakacZiHXIUZ0EA3L_fmpvciHZ0Px8Y_zmM_Tl1bEdOvyipRuuEIPHfkKzKkUbHf0aJuJiq8RE7LykggzVlr81hxL_fmGSvMgVibpaVA3Eqd2kRJt5B-P74ThU_svuv0KM/s320/P4080077.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599501446353451218" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Attempting to figure out if he could jump in and catch the ducks...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eMGURvBQe0nqTwM8jNjHouUXA7xseKEtFJSbdLc37YLhWYFDWGQRU-BAjO6Kn54MILcNl3u2nui0640ZaaOK751qeF_VROcBuoN88S_iI1jDaNzWtm4aHAv8E9N3Yl6plWVTcGQzJmEH/s320/P4080083.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599501454812313890" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknXOplqk6sBTK2T7Dm6XEWTzkJ3wbSVNA_wFp_5nuUJgiR9dcN6B12IGlPe6107NmT0RYuWYdWi3fSzmw7aGiezxjIToSt5xTccWJWzmGdzTYgqAbDqxjZoIPtcVYYHD8dMQ5xFz1e19v/s320/P4080092.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599501463779822450" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobFxpLlaNltttnjk71YguPn14rWdfWRqJkivuAJS-JNM6CpeC3reU_c58TcMkTdskQTdvAJelcLlxXvtX-qGFG1JWNxL3lqvqqHA0PqQTexQlKYRPgQL9HspGnUzHmObwpH2xbXD9PvsG/s320/P4080099.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599501465393264994" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">And then Angus went for a swim!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxaGbahnqMRLFMBRxaEwF86_r4z5HDWihAE5AHxAXuHlMUDGVSv-gApLL0Bfk7PEFMOpJr1u8A8-gy5KP-fhxpVH7w4f7m-h2rGMX9L2W9cOlOH7bNdAp9uoWZU4CVcy2CqDV1bzjraWw5/s320/P4080111.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599501475079027938" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">And we got a video of Angus swimming... the funniest part about the whole thing was him shaking off while trying to run at the same time...lol</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzPRuN3BWX7_711naM2Z1eZ1i2MyNpRzq1DaQcDob5bsdRk0WmLDCZ1IziNkGV8ui5zlHSW0ki1qvbFr1Jxlw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-39551807534550936852011-02-28T16:34:00.003+00:002011-02-28T16:44:52.133+00:00Birthday in London<div style="text-align: left;">On Friday, I turned 26.... I'm officially in my mid-late 20's....lol. We decided to spend the night and London and go see Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Wizard of Oz"! It's not even officially open until March 1st or something like that, but the whole month of February they've been previewing it. It was absolutely fantastic! Michael Crawford, the original Phantom from "Phantom of the Opera" starred as the Wizard and a newcomer, Danielle Hope, played Dorothy. They held a competition out here that was televised for the role of Dorothy and with no formal training whatsoever, she won! She was absolutely fantastic! Seriously, she had one of the most crisp and clean and beautiful voices I've heard.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwT_AOVUKe9CekcKglsIM0QmOffwD-2KE_Q3s3XvJlXCpcimiGVaCMtsuLc9WsovHj6Ob3riBf3KhTVyVa22cSCd0TVpi2_kQxXkOz6f5RjZNiMyDjnoRc36elJYHhOOrlc1NXUXI4jWJo/s320/DSCN6447.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578781750613889058" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div></span></div><div>After the show, we went to a french restaurant for dinner called Cafe des Amis. It was really good. I had gravadlax as my appetizer (delicious!), mussels in a white wine sauce and chips as my entree, and Chocolate soup with black pepper ice cream for dessert! It was awesome! </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyhldu568HOX78KK3NGxznGDmidSFl6H0hh10rmBlw-tZbNWMGJFPHihHeEvriBGf1WqzcMvr6H5rIu2njP3BBb2VE_SwGhX65wY-qbxMKJkww0XO_gpNNSKTTBSrTrFwYuxUzNqKW5le/s320/DSC_0029.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578781753701087890" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>We stayed at the May Fair hotel which was gorgeous! It was in a quiet section of London and near all the designer shops, so on Saturday we spent part of the morning wandering around looking at the window displays of Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, and the like. </div><div><br /></div><div>We headed down to Notting Hill in the afternoon. I'd read online that on Saturdays they have a world famous Antique Market that takes up an entire street, so I knew I wanted to check that out. Plus, we hadn't been to Notting Hill yet, so that was our new thing for this month. </div><div><br /></div><div>Notting Hill itself is super cute. There are TONS of Antique stores and little boutique shops all over the place. We had a great time wandering around all the shops and stalls. It was really, really packed down there though because of the market, so that kind of sucked, but we dealt with it. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchKdqdoX3tnlWbxuqrRfKt20p3OyQVUzvzB-NlnbuNDfV2i9DdN5YgTw6VAbPNcsz3KBWeNp51wDn9vRU29MsmijhS0ozRSsLKFd9Hvj_JjGw-fpMkiQRUux_Z5H7zjGlfn1RJmj62h58/s320/DSC_0060.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578781755937678866" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">And I know this picture will get Gramps to come visit again...lol</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBnQR6HeHV9gtLh9AMr7H9yDLbqR2h7vtrZzvbkg6es7QzQswbsVluKiWabNiP11fs7PDRuF-S9oBHuWmQdkHDEVRUhwwzVi2TapG6V7fE8RvFFcMWomtZyBeJLkA2McwlLgwlAChKVQq/s320/DSC_0085.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578781762302005362" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>All in all it was a great weekend. This weekend is Christopher's birthday and I have no idea what we're going to get into. He wants to go biking at a place called Grafham Water, but the weather here has been anything but nice lately, so I dont know if that'll happen or not, but fingers crossed we have decent weather. </div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-84201138688698706522011-01-24T13:53:00.007+00:002011-01-24T14:39:43.225+00:00Italy... Day 3 & 4<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0v1BEF6xN1x-9vlYXub2P_ClJc0PNeGOXeel9NeXLBIejtQ_7VLl6MfVAKREBUk38tku6uuusmf9WE1fPYleiPbhsFoTpJcqaq6tspPxzW2ecjqPGXoniWem1tHlYim486jqDv8gqtY5A/s1600/DSC_0454.jpg"></a>The last 2 days we were in Italy, we pretty much stuck to Pisa. We did go to a town called Lucca for a little bit on Sunday, but everyone was a little stir crazy to see the Leaning tower, so we headed to Pisa after only a couple of hours walking around Lucca. <div><br /></div><div>It was a cool town though. It was completely surrounded by a stone wall and the town center used to be a Roman Coliseum before it was turned into housing. We walked along a market and in the town center and just enjoyed the sunshine. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWt_0pIdG7euP93-E9t4O79moQrMQjTGcM4ko74agAJfVP-0405opsv8NE46nL_pO5RFvV8NjDwT5IHzJUOk3vsjDSlcNreeDv_BldB1zsr3d_ihNaT6eIj3NdWReHutaZWXvZdS5SInU/s320/DSC_0203.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565755128410037826" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvB3_LsXY96bYP_EPwYlUchw82fuv24qixP1Uh2hAj5lKVrlDR7LkTTtuAv6MNffXv5bMK2EoQnA5G-kMc6yCkBj3WkidheWnXgka9wMQxDT6l2B14Be7VKeQhcS5pKR9FSsaPw-HfwMd/s320/DSC_0208.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565755132551500962" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div>Oh, I almost forgot... that morning we went to McDonald's to grab some breakfast and saw that you could get Pecorino or Parmeseano-Reggiano on your burger. You could also get kiwi's on a stick...lol</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjubvGtOm9TXO5UQU6NbjrnjpzhNg8WXfu4ytcxY-K76MQHZgGrj7RTOwiTywwl4gqa_8Y5JUr_jJGs_mkkbDwdzjZob6txkr5CsPUlMF7V4GkAk4fNPCP9ohbWmj-QvMOPsvny0HwuuR3p/s320/DSC_0197.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565755114420599106" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagLKWl4cfxZKsFY2dKqjY_2K4L37Q3ONZDa9PJVMUlHdRN5nnm9aCn5tTKk46VaP3TOZAiVEmVIivv9C94AkKRzOah8Q49p5FAnHfBFGBbPLlw3iNZrXKGVrp_5vYlhoSDKGULyEJeeVu/s320/DSC_0198.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565755119333236834" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div>After Lucca, we drove into Pisa and finally found the Leaning tower. It did take a while though...lol. We saw it from the road and knew we were headed in the right direction. We spent some time just walking around the tower and taking pictures. We had a blast trying to find the right angle to get the perfect picture. It was definitely one of those surreal, oh-my-God-I-Cant-believe-I'm-actually-standing-here- moments. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJozx2HUSwfjXUijME1alPim6J-3CEb4taTH2xJPfOypzAYiv3gO45NPQghCVpqujkwos5nGztncEmEprfMmBeK72olELWxb95TFXC9F0V8u5FGNYOrDU0gnDLLEYh1PTQPw0wppiGvpV8/s320/DSC_0245.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565755136822518210" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2wTBGgBQj8LMKcsKOY8nqzjcGcUaGKiRpAIE9ZO8oCngndmLtdC7L3aSuCAYCKJ5a237oD8AbNgUzymI0rd1RCHe2Sxli_9vALRl6I9PTRV2G4eRryI2vih1uGnESBvFPMnbIfHCBSGB/s320/DSC_0249.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565756233625437714" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjorSyGi5CMINkjRRDjx8apwt2_PzWjB5F7Mp0wMiIjXL3kTbimad_fCKKSNF0ErNn9V1T1mssaYD_ZIhJPnX7D8OnjaQi7b4c5OWW81-RN7niBeFtvL94-vP47gB9v8TIl480dzZoxKp/s320/DSC_0260.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565756245001507570" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div>Sandy was hilarious. She kept turning towards the tower and not towards us, so I dont think we ever got a good picture of her...lol</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOCbAuFTGESzd5KbGx3frcvKXhM61nMxGZKTsFgTFjqJaYFO_nkLwYZAflv4bUFoA_UqYvTX5HlIAUclsaAVZ8INEbUJWtO-GMISlIoh1msrApYkz8My_-1jJ9fzz9ldBQBRXNFb50hTZ/s320/DSC_0280.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565756249457204978" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>We ended up eating dinner at a cafe right at the Tower. It was a little chilly, but we sacrificed to sit outside so we could say that we ate at the base of the Leaning Tower... it was pretty awesome! </div><div><br /></div><div>Our last day in Italy, we decided we wanted to go back into Pisa and go into the Cathedral at the Leaning Tower and just spend some more time there. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgz7FnmzCE2T-YLmhvkLoWU2xTpjWPDfmAB0fBPhjB5zkf1guedr2kbOZYYhOAu0b2lfl124VPgeRlND1xhhvkXg8qhWTCiwDH1KMd52Xbae9jkIwyni0mV-cCbNu2fPrnCKUVnktM29Al/s320/DSC_0317.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565757475742262226" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>We went into the Cathedral and it was breathtaking. There were frescos all over the walls and lining the walls and ceiling of the altar. Every where we looked there was art.... the whole place was a piece of artwork. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzNdM4bMt8xyTqNFZ2T0N4WJa7xnRtHO9e-onmTyEpkc1uK7Aezpx8P3J4xam_ZUn8m_MrA9decrFx1u5kNKEmeXwKOgVn7scHBNZDCbvLVm5IAXY_d1tNOoeOkf6_KICanUD3-Qc3HDb/s320/DSC_0323.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565757465228235570" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifs24ELr6HcRrQIiz8P_-pkZPRYF6GazGngmCsRS-bo6vWjhL-HuBPelgsNje078uYi8rogSWa1-lMlpSNHRyY-y8d9zxe38DTN0lTn1qlzyx9F5ThxwE3YC71UByWtApAdKFEQ1KhErh-/s320/DSC_0324.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565757484774241410" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOjciltmkQxTfLOmzWrRJyFqUvZtos5izCWar5hZ-FkjdOvXFZldIIRVHGiXINcl-thoLiLwHKxlsd0tpc-x04sAzACqv_tCaMLH0fEsvHfQ8a4duRBYnV_uSIdTXBTJKeTIF0EhZpTpW/s320/DSC_0347.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565757491702840514" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggixzdqvaAeO2bB5xqAqSgxpWUPq9cVa5U5rJYnpr6kjRs9_4xetjVvNNnALlQLulMXTRNU7IMMJx27ZTozsjfBdjJx-H2u9LAef9_YqoOBcEfy1q7zBF5aqwxPfshKdX1Hcj3MNkjlNqq/s320/DSC_0361.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565757498436344994" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div>After the cathedral, we went into the Baptistery. We found out that they still have baptisms there. We climbed the stairs to the top and got some great shots looking down. You could also look out the windows and see the cathedral and the leaning tower. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJkq68sca-diCpNTnTveuc2bGYLcwIbllq4eaSFeTzx9dnHb2WBfoS0REfEkxLmoSDfke3h2kQ8nEa9J2_A4ozbRd7v_LOWb2b9J7irQ_uj2DmAwOUcRlPvhSYwfqS6UMxWryJ3qgpYqG/s320/DSC_0369.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565758561164627762" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHCGeHdZTDCsoAIZ_piAIqmSYOB8MyBNGABDaReKoBvXiKcbjL7jT6SSF7W5D1K-uufNhDCEB2eaXqymJfdVb9Bg90qK5R6vHbOegZB0qqjyr0FB8ngdSgiuZJy2qQ7ZU0cPfkzzoJCyu/s320/DSC_0389.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565758564572679394" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div>As we were getting ready to leave, the guide stopped us and asked us to stay, that he was getting ready to demonstrate the acoustics of the Baptistery. We thought he was just going to shout or clap or something... he actually sang. It was just notes that he sung, but it was beautiful. Luckily, the camera has video and I thought to snag a video of it!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxDw7L-yNDeBqnU3a5AA8wVm3S3VBAebtsSmxHMFNSygayRIB-YfxK_KUr6YNhNcvCvUy8bcBf-WYITc69HHA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>When we left the Baptistery, we walked into the Mausoleum and all around it. It was all open air, which was neat, but the walls were all completely painted and the fresco's were really damaged from years of weather damage. Some of them had even been removed off the outside walls and inside to try and preserve them. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIT2N5KdhTy-3OFZdQpuHg7UfS9hoXX5qLfDN7nvmyo1TXzApBS5_5eq8imwFAPq_qpnFn63RUMkaIELqIiJzOMFMuE1WOrxYaFqy5HAZthlNvMwq9sZiCPPdzYlPYo_fPBabtVixHWEz/s320/DSC_0400.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565758576630351042" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">One of the beautiful statutes </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6J5tnI2vpxPBSrVDberJs-nAbH6RaH8o23yJAGwVI_LZmsPOjC1V60qv0tm2bQg53SSobnR9mnT8Ilsod4ovDPnVYHeIFrNDDrG-ytyyIRpFQ0jl9PrLBgJBlD1_ELroZFg_4YC0d8uS/s320/DSC_0411.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565758579541226930" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYW0-SLnRgQ5KJJCHIXgh8i_PSBM1rqsG-wIhPtcynmiIlqsm7kx7NcPECz5V_754qRmi3qe2pS2WPMRG6F5v-H-R4oqbSL6P7BFlSg9KQD0MglTQA-iT0QLRvO6xFewhXmimkDVySY0t1/s320/DSC_0427.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565758586125703554" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div>After we walked around, we decided to grab some lunch. We found the cutest cafe and decided to eat there. It was obviously a family owned place and it was cozy and delicious! We all kind of felt like we were at someone's house eating... the food was cooked right behind the counter and it was awesome. I had a caprese salad and ravioli in a cream sauce that was so light and delicious! </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0v1BEF6xN1x-9vlYXub2P_ClJc0PNeGOXeel9NeXLBIejtQ_7VLl6MfVAKREBUk38tku6uuusmf9WE1fPYleiPbhsFoTpJcqaq6tspPxzW2ecjqPGXoniWem1tHlYim486jqDv8gqtY5A/s320/DSC_0454.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565759082698630626" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcdmvi8MtmgcvlXv9AkA1mYq3V8ctqV-O3tV1Qh0I_DxgZ0JtYMx5f3E5fYXip9FHBJVLJ1jI-ByxSH-TDGq98krWSkH4VZfOhHVzGsVH2fIugHI6xgm_oQMEI8lmuipxvqJNNMTobcJN/s320/DSC_0449.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565759074764190322" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-15471521938078796102011-01-24T13:25:00.005+00:002011-01-24T13:52:30.584+00:00Italy Day 2...Florence!<div style="text-align: left;">On our second day in Italy, we decided to drive an hour away to see Florence! It was amazing!!! Even the drive was gorgeous...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qGdLwdvWLVLF9-lzeoccIj7Q-xgD6kWxUreBYTSWjnT-ybo3qQH6ZQhJabiA_keu9jBYgkE14gtagfwvPe7AiWAg95ctPOk_CzWs_5A10Hd1kM31J1K_CJI21yUizCYuksg2og_6B_D7/s320/DSC_0043.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565744373070455810" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">The Italians call Florence, Firenze.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVf5K5VfYSXUDIW65D5eMKkSJy_EE5xq1iBr7diEgktkuVVNvrzDZxbsKA5Bk7-5hs6IT5fWBTehG4P3PVtS3oFDXCXUAE4qT5Q2e4-lpc4flGmOAVF5uAdLYlmWpk6rcZOcQmg4n2hae_/s320/DSC_0048.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565744374401570306" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div>We got there about lunch time and found a little cafe to stop into. We had pizza, which wasn't that great (after all, Naples is known for their Pizza, not Florence), and we had Gelato and some little pastries... delicious! </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0ZjNjEzA9DGN_4wIl_9WH660i_3Deaff8k2Jwqf6mr93uusypAUmycMSK3TitibUQ0LDWQ5HhyAf_Fe7tJJw4sl3zD4UtryMJVF2hUgng83wLyZL7XPGGl-FvAQJpjJt0QwqZqhtMv09/s320/DSC_0078.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565746626904921874" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>After lunch, we started walking towards one of the many museums in Florence and we came across a street market. We walked around the market for a while and then, Liz and I were waiting for the girls to finish looking at something, when she looked to her left and said, Um, we need to go in there... you especially need to go in there. I looked up and there was a huge indoor food market! It was amazing!!!!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN98rwrIoh0ll_SgsVXASUfghAzeINs8snBBa6ybm1ZpBGDaXQ5E-SsiN1zYZJdqvvdA20BvS30gdKrF5BerxWFAktSlA-Luy_haI0CrbR9AUQQK_o9vEMRKNMKVw23VntrpB37QYWoBuz/s320/DSC_0067.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565744380622811554" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrFOkx_p2ykQtHSAKW3IABXcxr4AjNR27N3bholF0Hh49JZvKR0ftXZP33pGYHEXlCm9TffmLlzG7b6gPFj4X-O-SQymlnGzKx52qWlmgMUsvnvc4OyzxQs2Q0InoAFA54zd5Yz1DGb0Y/s320/DSC_0069.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565744384970698290" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-9tVN6MTmEY83wVc932TnUDIru5Kxji0me-_5NxTiBUt8q8jRygfpYzKDoNVr-PzNNIongULPk7F2aJz49N5n37f0FCCrSWYHVPv3S87pC5uPDd-ZYN1q0x2PI2YMEOJM-9wLzKFwqDg/s320/DSC_0074.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565744399303117378" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div>After walking around the food market (and spending way too much money...lol), we headed out and finally found the museum we were looking for... the one that housed Michaelangelo's David! I thought David was in Rome, for whatever reason, but nope, he's in Florence. And he's breathtaking. The way they have it set up, is you walk into this long hallway that's lined with other Michaelangelo statues and the very end of the hall opens up into a bigger space with a huge dome ceiling and David is right under it. You seriously cant see anything else but him. I cant even tell you what other statues were there (except Michaelangelo's Pieta, I did see it). </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbbL-fhtte12eb6mvR55qLZyOf4GQNXkVeHeqDatZnxHKyic0brHuDy_5Yx_han_tBHmpfCHbWrBSPZNiJv8PKD5guYYK4a3KDlIcdPKyh8T1BpV9tAMY7Himd6tG7XUwCOsXc3FTM3Fcd/s320/DSC_0107.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565746640240066722" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkIT0-8XSCeiAcOLAsFPdkxJcCcYkrCBbHpSemBLCbwOUpuVKMBQubXiOc49P4CHnVbWe9kBqFiQ5MKpl_rlF6zzCs4MX_hyphenhyphenzs89i6xkbtlt2pdRZqF03NrWCMVt1I_x2xepjTE0wM4UI/s320/DSC_0113.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565746644890545410" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div>After spending some time with David, we finished walking through the museum and then found ourselves back outside. We walked towards this huge dome and came across the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. It was hands down, the most beautiful cathedral I've ever laid eyes on. It was stunning. Absolutely stunning. We walked around the whole thing and never got tired of looking at it. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zbrII4YW_aNPvrqnFoARB-Niu_eCb9Yw91u54_t9twgSmHW8B0zw3CrZHO3OOOoZ1X14A5lIdA49iqnw5MKv0miYarumZeUWc9dVyK9qadUKizHupdgnF46CHIaQsZdAx9Y_vj90Itdp/s320/DSC_0079.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565746635759372690" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx87Bg6ZUOjsu8Cu37TqLxOiwwWSWhA4L4QtPLPGO4ksk7c4v8F-yV5Yk8S9PYnFGbmsxt_CEfqozDg0BnPm80fB_ePJwGyo9l-C5rv9MmEZoZiLZqbQdHs0znInOdnv2C9JIu2gtZkO56/s320/DSC_0134.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565746647698289058" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPT_iK5bTMJQ_ndXg6uDJ9Qa134vKdr7tLveC8i05vOxYrg7_fydKuX_x7zRFutNY_65ek5lyEDRfXDlqiIZg05Gmbf_NDSgbsuufaUhvJXXPYqAhJiPnGD2czB074S7KaZjRudOFUO3Zv/s320/DSC_0153.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565747833774612626" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3XjPJSLb5ZRDF3m6iSfQDIvzgaa66Z-eaFLnimhnIXnL0IlTtmfUhzRfTl5aSy8Oe6CMvFyNKKBHn5DW3z6E6_xnywKIH66xwe34Fg8BTXVORn-Qft7x5VMS89g0_YVeuAJp5l5xIMPc/s320/DSC_0168.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565747836420324146" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">There were statues right across from the Cathedral...they were sketching the cathedral itself. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51j1sybTHJoMfijyDFuJp_2vpnkBt2cG7gmR-CKE5sJtjnpGx8rzZVCYXMQbTenZvYjOfRCRZLIM-XqpIfvcx8OmTliX1qI4tTVFyeDo_YMK62USgFWzkuiL0nMPPdjI7e5GMEboOjKt4/s320/DSC_0189.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565747843469289778" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div>After that, we found a place for dinner, where I had risotto (mine was better...woot woot!), and then we headed back to Camp Darby and called it a night. We didn't even scratch the surface of Florence and I really cant wait to go back! It was awesome! </div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-35254380934782473162011-01-24T12:56:00.005+00:002011-01-24T13:24:51.262+00:00Pisa! Day 1<div style="text-align: left;">Back in December, Liz and I started talking about trying to take a trip in January. We'd talked about possibly all of us going on a cruise, but could never find a really good one we wanted to take. She had a friend who was stationed at Camp Darby in Pisa, Italy and she posted pictures in like a t-shirt in the middle of December, so we decided we wanted to go there since it was still relatively warm! We started planning and then our boss, Sandy said she wanted to go and bring her daughters, and then Betty, who we work with, wanted to go too. So, we decided on a girl's weekend in Italy!</div><div><br /></div><div>We left early on the Friday morning before MLK day and arrived in Pisa in time for lunch. We flew over the Italian Alps and I got some gorgeous shots from my window seat! Probably the most gorgeous thing I've ever flown over. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjo50rTLkvgd-EOv_68wK8j178LUNZ3UZer52A5yvCRweNV5DMRObmreBQwS38gMcranLwhwTJUlPMBNP2qDuOPeqk7hOyOml5xQYXfjF-1l8780ff0I6YiV6cbzlRoUh5dDJT-u81yyl/s320/DSC_0001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565740635251307602" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>We spent the first day just kind of settling in. We stayed on Camp Darby, so we checked into our hotel, got our stuff put away, and went to the commissary for some snacks before heading out to downtown Pisa. </div><div><br /></div><div>Let me just describe our trip into Pisa. We'd gone out right after we checked in to try and find a place for lunch. We had directions from the front desk, but never found the place we were looking for, so we went back to the base and had some lunch. We ended up having to rent 2 separate cars since we had 6 people, so Liz and I were in the lead in our awesome Smart Car. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGK2DW5uWtgTzvwmb72KZAp57OVnBEm6BdzyM1MbrSp-x8ktaW1Jttsc2Rnyrsy-WWrXQbpsMWP_dpQ6ghWNDx7ATSFE39_77BsbrgPTjUSlh1CRSuC_KrzPHWaATkDL0oO-931AJZQdM/s320/DSC_0021.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565740643709747426" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>We took a right outside the base gates and headed out on our way to find the lunch place. We got to a stop sign and had to turn Left. There was traffic, so Liz and I just had to go and leave the other car behind. Luckily, there was a pull off almost right in front of the stop sign, so we pulled off the road and waited on them to go. All of a sudden, I head Liz go, "OMG It's a Shim! It's a Shim!" I'm totally focused on the other car and making sure they can turn, so I turn to ask her, what? And I see it. A transvestite hooker sitting in a white plastic lawn chair, putting on her make up. Seriously. It was epic. Anyway. We thought it was just a fluke...a one time deal type thing. Um, not so much. There were hookers everywhere. And yes, we took pictures...lol </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQccgEXjZUJwJYupd8zyObVaLiXFCxEoHKgGQHRYC8rUIlk_lpVzC0-IzSRHW0I8HmjZW_cvSGOLZ8qXJiztWQdnl_n_m_h9mRDhyphenhyphenGgf6ln6a_j83IZSgarBZbpM4M-oFpm2x7q8jq2LVH/s320/DSC_0022.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565740660967457282" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge0xLnbjTL1rT7Beq3FKOtZowzLqP6QUYc9Ua8JTqrV_obbxAaap5NMhcgIIn9YeFL1UAiWQ_2PlTalWCDWwq0_602kRBo3z4LvRcG-pz4FZSWDZq5ZFGuJRfAhs_syu9_pfeOtIudrSPB/s320/CSC_0040.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565741255485414370" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Once we finally composed ourselves, we made our way to Pisa. The funny thing is, that night we never found the leaning tower! We were right there and just didn't find it. So we just walked around the town and tried to find some Gelato. We never found the gelato that night, but as we were walking around, we smelled the most amazing yeast bread ever. We followed our noses and found this tiny little hole in the wall bakery and bought giant, sweet yeast rolls. Liz and I shared one and had it filled with Nutella. It was one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjket7ETZBPT1n1lrQB6w263do5-Pz7-hBoA4YUROc3pltqCn2PkOJUxRCNMVnvMsAX3EYFbcmRps9nPYOUIZvzwxZ-a3uMYOIPRxbeLHCdD4YE6GupiXjvYaXriSMRl5CKroQ3JOcJ_GfR/s320/DSC_0028.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565740648449671842" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPXVGObrL_GzkvkPwZMvEmVkxh5a4VOMCd0P8FdpeNQmnd_n244dBnj0NLpkwQUFfkJPBxwS9CUxceLjT5GMJELjPaPnxh8zU-v9HXehsLmTD9d76-kZZv4J7QD_WS3yRYKSpBHibAqvE/s320/DSC_0038.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565740652739719378" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></span></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-31033572339904991732011-01-24T11:59:00.007+00:002011-01-24T12:55:39.930+00:00The rest of Mymom & Grampy's Trip<div style="text-align: left;">Okay, its time for a massive update. I have been awful at updating this blog and we've actually done a lot that needs to be posted...lol. Oops. I'm still laid up with the flu, so I'm taking my down time and putting it to some use.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll pick up where I left off... Mymom & Grampy's Trip. When we got back from Naples, we had to stay at the hotel on base since they were completely replacing our heating system in the house. </div><div><br /></div><div>We took them to Cambridge and showed them the sights and then we went to London. It was a freezing cold, miserable, London day. I dont think anyone had that great of a time, which is sad considering how amazing London really is. We bought tickets for the double decker tour bus and rode all over the city, to make sure Mymom and Grampy got to see the big stuff. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSg8g_ObCjUJ6KuOQF5ZJkhEnEKl6ViBYnJRuMQ6nDksVfYN0Una4aT1ZCxRYTFuLiuw3V92klnAJY-kGQ2rXNpwVwThgRUIc7mrjPAeCQye-pgE_IMafgAy9nsqK_jYyQjnngrjwfe9OK/s320/DSC_0196.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565726591407516194" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxA7vRbJFMrj_nOiNQUilj5fQr-HFd39dKDleJOlx_zHsdL3Rz5JUJyNp9VFcG67AB1Xky5wZ9hDEGcNHWYvEzKAOolaWNOq9ni3Ks0YKoaqUQPJVI_mWL0bVMKBhYshCSKqAERWHwnKT/s320/CSC_0268.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565726596204345458" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">London Bridge!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2X9cPcAG8kuTmrUMx_VWYw2ZwRmrOzEb_U86YK9wzq0zD7A5RV5z3e7BDhaZ3cfrVJYpYsEAbBFLQdCwYfHUsHfk3ONZi7T6kuyhVg_j1Lr7oy1wU7cD6lieLHSLg0pDMIVUdGlVCy0Un/s320/DSC_0300.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565726600900987762" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div>And then it snowed. And It snowed and snowed and snowed and snowed. It snowed all over the place... that was pretty much the theme while Mymom and Grampy were here...lol. We also had a lot of hoar frost (which is where fog freezes on everything) which was really cool. We drove into Biggleswade for an antiques fair one afternoon... the fair ended up being cancelled, but we got to see some beautiful, snowy countryside. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Spider Webs on our garage... so pretty!</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuIr8cUlDqhG4LREQRXVh7ugNsZPggBc7cV95w8FD44_6iJ3f61rPixSs6GtrZMss9CdPXEvnZmNRMIbMS9kkWcqs8w69mCHaBdRc09VNpjVZ_uAnU473R_dhJ4_7eaOGW-x9KscJewLF/s320/DSC_0487.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565726611431046706" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6Hy_U_GaS0ofQzprnmySAZlTgmrtoTabegJLSFFBfc-6neuizJZB1Dsd_PEUjjNKZryKgbe3x9HDdpTMIGsJdfZYZ8f1AcT30Wbp4eYcUnmGkU-Gzn1gidslYpgOglI8tgzuUNc1iTJ7/s320/DSC_0405.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565726608048094674" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyL-zH4510-tAgNGITcup0OCK7iStfQbpphhjoeb96lHQ5pofpdrJ3hc8tvj0h6LmE71L7j4ttmmhLDeLd8AX4mh-Ghw_ow9gQVWJlViRtibObm1nYXHKYZXJij4VevLhta5P0jivpRMH/s320/DSC_0425.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565729039645093954" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9ESWpmotuV_zbd-oN89dz0AVQ91BLo_HWN7FSuW5apzMRi-dZcFyd2GjtpGhb9kDxXd-U3SagFAv-SdBt_Y_UAlX9rygo4ne__k2_h9gu6Ef3J5gn8LXlD_hwEJf0BdcPbrmbz0-bNDq/s320/DSC_0463.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565729049262670786" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div>We finally managed to go to Windsor Castle! We've been wanting to see it forever, but every time we plan to go, something happens. It was worth the wait! It was awesome! You cant take pictures inside, which sucks, but it was gorgeous! And it was all decorated for Christmas, which was really cool. We got to go into St. George's Chapel, which is the chapel right in front of the castle. Something like a dozen kings and queens are buried there, including Henry VIII, which was cool. </div><div style="text-align: center;">The guards in front of St. George's Chapel. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWphjIEJZHMLsvbg89NHj7LjG3KQYOZX9M_d9mXXtN9o0U-9hGfAsX7kL6WDM5hUHGHe_6-hp5zt0etFH_tgkmaW8fji9qsiWzlmWysJIfdDVCoF9i6UHOLCRqM9r_cPXmyAOW2a_FN_qz/s320/DSC_0577.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565729053130187746" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRrVxxNW4j2CLljyNB_mJ5x7kW56TAHkH-YuUEpcSiNOi_To4xxp9ss82UJDCA8eOFlIWK6gMmeNRYV_X7vkvpLz-rAvo9rgyuR15jlq9y9669MFEO26tuXeiEeTS9wcOZIat-fFhr4O9k/s320/DSC_0588.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565729054333257890" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-f-A3ZaHen4XXE5jmwcyFE5gjXiSKDY__-0wmZ_thvRMcOTlPfSIQJJXobLIZ96n4jXRMPtYR6bdu4ps8TJ6e2BS2cORkQE5sP9osVslrndLZSmEBwTU5hcKwfPwNB_Vqg7EQGZqxvNN/s320/DSC_0594.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565729060068242658" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div>And then it was Christmas Eve. We watched Christmas Vacation, because its what we do...lol. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0Zy9CDHjVANvPksyYlt_uo89q9UpzmgFWXNq1yiEuVeJnsWyZpD-kCYbbZ5mmu6x7dR231zPDrQLumWrnaP_ARE7MkORHC09uI1qgiBvurFOqFMNOmrFn0ZvzyJcxSKSyyEMV4p2Bl3X/s320/DSC_0629.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565730766263281522" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">A very </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">spoiled</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "> rotten little boy</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nh_67mmfYXWAgt8YTZ_mLpxKRhPssA94w6kKNgczPkMxXD0g3WPccR71WefVIMHKOamoD3m3sLVrQqMsz1Ti17lTKBsfQuyjlwM9L1PEpdhy11Jy-A5cClbMoMoulkjpRx08RYKxHpbT/s320/DSC_0636.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565730771027369858" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 193px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPOdel0sqNHCtiFKVzDiLyprB_TLqGCo83n9lcrqUVGIcTyV7J2J-o6xPAtgmCjKMIp65PQYUnyknr_ud8ViQfFA6IRy7s3PxkvzVDGKDU523yuBSXb9tCU6fNopgn8YtQHjNMjDXmZnW/s320/DSC_0774.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565730777067361666" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div>The next morning we woke up early and opened presents! Christopher spoiled me rotten this year!!! After skyping with our families and waking up a little bit more, I got started on Christmas Dinner. I made Beef Wellington, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and parsnips, and yorkshire puddings! It was a success!!!</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Using my new Food Processor!</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwgDifg1o1rC4r2GHeBGvRUEbG4A5ASGerORxcdWgqxQArcfDVAb6ghrcdl8D5qg9KdCqPSq_RH-9E-zfkdTkKGDa8BiOYHAm7XoSMuZHlgzioGH6EbsgcOBKOfHUcy6uISNt1LFpA63x/s320/DSC_0807.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565730781526677186" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Carving up the beef Wellington!</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaqizth7Q7d0M2sIQhSqICvcmAvEsSnCI2aB-iV_5X85VbXHduz95v0vJdW1R_w4pNVFq7-GJcBeSRSF-aFgYuO2oPmIVElGAA3c2MNd0ndqmyBE11YgeyUY3iTRBWGUsU4tYJwDOUeBSn/s320/DSC_0832.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565730785715080738" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>A couple of days later, we headed out to go to York. On the way there, we passed by a couple of signs for Burghley House in Stamford and decided to detour. I'd heard Stamford was pretty cool, so I figured we'd find something, at least lunch, in the little town. It turned out to be gorgeous!!! Burghley House was closed for the winter, but the grounds are a park and they were open to the public. We got out and walked around in the snow and came across Reindeer! It was awesome, especially since it was only a couple of days after Christmas. They were so tame too... Mymom and I even pet one! </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We will definitely be going back as soon as it's open! </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiblgLsvwFe1J0c__hVGsStfIWEJv_OWAnsnoPLwsBAOe78_D5DmRJ7prsA9Xe-usi2jRaeb0QN_C0XO5G0D3OOkGInlwfZAlyHXfTT8CgX3p6bY9qXY9zOgr_7f6IOUTBaOwNxVFL3xzhq/s320/IMG_1281.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565733337748230050" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLuStmYsoPFdTccdy6ZYfCa_mztEWyhM6_wBD8tBeMOmMN69_aAfn4fzztKIucSGw2hTUOMlMzwFpksri5UoiuPmvZCJsYSRnzBYQfWcSMbE6d-Ja3yqoQJ-b7Y3228mHUvxUpwWnSaNL/s320/IMG_1318.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565733344164318978" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUMbZG1li3zxQ2ZeGWkJAeDfS84I6QJ3rYAIDxoCIfj8jl0HCl8HELavboTWsJ5uKaqpuhefRVUxZXb0VoAdeEAZV72GCdbdjBHHqHPIlss0sO_KiNxRt55uVVK8Lz-z4PqQuxXnFHwDG/s320/IMG_1322.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565733355223307554" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Mymom and I in front of one of the doors... it was tiny!</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCc3IZAKwH9uWn_mJWP_V3GuKJJvfujIppPHiFDGXJOGOCpKZPPhwNk1Ij9Qc_v08-8w2Pf_La-5nFSlxKyuUOtVr6hDacZ3YuQNQjOqV07uYIWhRuzd9pWk3zyvZpDU838ZryddTdriGh/s320/IMG_1373.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565733364288716066" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div>We had lunch in town at an Italian place and it was pretty good...nothing like our actual Italian food, but good just the same. We walked around a little bit more and found tons of antique stores; though they were closed for the Holidays. We ended up going back the next day with Christopher in tow and hit up some of the antique stores and I found a tea set! I've been looking for one forever to have from England and could never find one that I really loved. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZ0EpwuVNCXA5JhO0ek-VJxcoGOgF-8tTmn2IW-jQQbEAQBAhjdAwKaGuoNMiC1fCtxQTQxXt8PXQN_59PbqTtN5ymQtJbXM_tG9WR__yiXxIWlL3x5A_JGqHvyNWUknnqyVXC6-pTTuk/s320/DSC_0866.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565734430786791810" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-42807279949451702272010-12-12T11:46:00.005+00:002010-12-12T19:03:59.323+00:00Bonjourno!<div style="text-align: left;">At the end of November, Christopher competed in the Sailor of the Year competition for his command and he won! With his win came another competition; the Sailor of the Year competition for all the European & African commands; which was being held in Naples, Italy.</div><div><br /></div><div>My grandparents, or Crinkles as the British people call them, were set to arrive on Saturday, December 4th and we all decided to fly to Naples with Christopher. So, we set out for Italy on Monday, the 6th. </div><div><br /></div><div>We didn't arrive at our hotel until late, so we walked a little ways down the street and stopped in to a restaurant called Gusto! Gusto! We started the meal with a glass of prosecco (and ended with a shot of lemoncello), we had pizza and a caprese salad... let me tell you right now, that crap in the states is not pizza...just stop eating it now...lol. And the buffalo mozzarella cheese was absolutely the best I've ever eaten! </div><div><br /></div><div>On Tuesday, Christopher went on a tour of a monastery (Monte Cassino) and a wine tasting with the other Sailors of the Year and their sponsors. Mymom, Grampy, and I bummed around Naples. We ended up with beautiful weather all week. It was sunny and warm and pretty much the opposite of England weather right now. We ended up getting a taxi and paid 50 euro to keep him for 3 hours for a personal tour of the city. We went all over the place. We ended up at 2 churches, all through the city, up to the top of the mountain so we could see the most beautiful panoramic view of the city, a cameo factory where we met the proprietor and bought some cameos, and then we finished our tour at a pizzeria.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of the streets of Naples.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOwmcUrzLe7mSY3HuDhk5TFZZO8n_Fb3uAjApBVcsV9B7W_t_YCPqVrIKe70I-i5mwVcU5GzEzY31x-njzTyBRcFPmFdZf0CTrQuDV8hNU1OEEh8E9VgiBTiJVcZnj4FTvpdL9288c6GR/s320/DSC_0463.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549872893711017282" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>On Wednesday Christopher had his board for the competition. We had breakfast together at the hotel and then he got ready and competed. He came back absolutely thrilled with his performance. He knew that winning was probably a long shot for him, since he's only been in for 6 years, but he said he KNEW that he was good enough that they HAD to at least consider him, so he counted that as a win! After he got out of his uniform, we went out and walked around the older part of the city. We ended up in a Christmas market that was bustling, to say the least; it was PACKED. People were literally shoulder to shoulder trying to make their way through the narrow alleys. There were nativities all over the place and I wanted one so bad, but couldn't find the perfect one. Plus, it was absolute insanity in there, so we left. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of the tiny streets the market was held in</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiVTvAvJ8q0JET2FftaAyUUaKkJSMg78NpJwZBmnLXovmn27WWEpPd1iyLjvZALIHCZwNsYYU99ndiy39MnOwAT0yfgzk9BK3iarxNSrvs3EK9X0BeStS2r29VlRxSmgtqULAdoSvOkNiz/s320/DSC_0273.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549869553505179090" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>We had a dinner with everyone scheduled for that night, so we hopped on the bus and headed to somewhere in the heart of the city and stopped at a place called Pepe Russo. We didn't see a menu, they just started bringing food... whatever they felt like cooking that day. We had: </div><div><br /></div><div>House Wine with no label (amazing!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Our Anti-pasta course was:</div><div>Italian bread, roasted eggplant, potatoes, dough balls, pickled and sauteed anchovies, proscutto and buffalo mozzarella.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then we had our pasta course with 2 different pasta's, a penne with eggplant and tomatoes and the most amazing spaghetti I've ever eaten. The sauce was like nothing I'd ever eaten before and I still cant figure out what it was and I have a pretty awesome palate. It was a sauce so thick it stuck to the noodles... it was red, but not super red, more pink and very cheesy... smooth, so tomato chunks. It was divine. I ate every bit of it. </div><div><br /></div><div>For our meat course, we had Italian sausage and a giant pork chop.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had a course of just fresh tangerines as a palate cleanser and then came dessert: Zeppoli (Italian donuts) in Nutella... absolutely incredible! </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Everyone at dinner</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0Yk4WwuVP5OuGSjE1Ih7-BH9LSwb9uT6AHgXyJRDvgF2e44AalfqDPCM2UgVxYYyM2z03X23ahRnAi3HaYNs28R6QV869yDb8-P208FvDRdwAu5Wh14kW1iSj-a27lhDRkna76H3MYxW/s320/DSC_0331.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549869556722720114" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>It was pretty much one of the most amazing meals ever! The food just kept on coming and it was all amazing. We tried everything and enjoyed it immensely. </div><div><br /></div><div>The next day, we had breakfast and then headed to the base for the awards ceremony. There were two ceremonies that day; one for Sailor of the year for the region at 9:00 in the morning (I still dont really get the difference between that competition and the one Christopher competed in) and then the ceremony for Christopher's competition at 1:00 in the afternoon. We had a little time in between, so we went shopping at the NEX, which was nice since all our base has is a crappy BX. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Sunrise Thursday Morning... this was our view at breakfast!</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJMZ8aOUpBeMKC9BogdZvgUmjQOrdTntL5mCrRWClZNY3x_Y7sRcJkBjnR5AXKOkMm_bU8DPeRqZHmaQ1nr2Dtn9sbSABoHPdv3S0A6seivRV0D8xgtuk7K-ICvmxE6kqQxGbt6oxQTLG/s320/DSC_0334.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549869566286289890" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>We got into the awards ceremony and I was a bundle of nerves. I wanted nothing more than the Master Chief who was over the whole thing to call out Christopher's name. He got to the part where he announced the winner and he said the Rate and rank first and my heart skipped a beat-- it was Christopher's Rate! And then, after a pause, he said the name and it wasn't Christopher's. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty disappointed. But, Christopher was still awarded a COM (A Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medal), which is a really big deal. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Christopher accepting his medal from the Admiral (and his Master Chief, his sponsor, behind him).</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDe-_rKCGNKzuJJk01csT-U2PE0V-7p1yhyphenhyphenv-7OjoHnm4dBx5V1vw2xwJyGzsSIBwtLVpjFmU-C_AwWpZ-pG8t2EqlHnzwnljQzhigD3vRYoivuzsneqSZvOGiUhc2nVETX7vRgKi7jp0d/s320/DSC_0363.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549869571240629458" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotIGmNmmkHDv7C6XO_KLrAK3qZ1zTggaY8sIY4-Mk8AQheQ1QtSpXqp6P_J28_A9E_USbrk7iPZPZ-ZMQ74quV8y1d8B5gxgPeB35GEeZQnihpLSQlbbH3fCPlLh2pKq_PeRxYQY8pO9e/s320/DSC_0403.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549869580168476802" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div>After the ceremony, we headed back to the hotel, grabbed a nap, then headed down to dinner where we had even more pizza. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mount Vesuvius </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85V2pK8qT_8hEB7Es41b09liZMVprpy0bQkOUAS_odNwDqCNBkYl0FWPqaCwG3UDqT8V0F6DH5KSXJh02i7fNutDu6WKLliEFN8RrvH-Ezr74KL7crjO3LmsiTXrNItADY2dvIGZR6-no/s320/DSC_0460.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549872890429492690" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>Friday we had all day to ourselves. We walked ALL over Naples. We managed to find the oldest Cafe in Naples and have some breakfast. Cappuccino's, cannoli's, and elephant ears! It was incredible! I am not really a coffee drinker, much more a tea person, but the cappuccino was amazing... the coffee wasn't bitter at all and the foam was so creamy. The cannoli was one of the best I've ever had, as was the elephant ear. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhCA9w5GRIjos0QSGoJAl5tWDOsf7ceCxIfiaw5ulGlZUl7Gxv4aJviX0L8VDGi6Go5XQf_I1nA3-aqaA0bcEi75A0S9q81B2d0C7sLBJLK5vgsY45CBytrhy2R0XKQRIo7chQIgZZl3p/s320/DSC_0539.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549872910156213298" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>We wandered around some more and managed to find some Christmas ornaments that said "Buon Natale" which means Merry Christmas in Italian! </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mymom, Grampy, and I</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3Jz2rz0njpS5ByRWYbiGrgFofaEVSeth1M_mhTOIB9wd3HgNGG0xEbVNvRTmSycZAME7ZlSipHUghuxzoH7qUhL7HqUAf30UX2V1jw56045Tv9ekQWKam_IGSwZ2Y0WFZg31s5NjPQoc/s320/DSC_0497.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549872902689015058" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>We stopped at a restaurant and had some lunch; Mymom and Grampy had Lasagne, I had spaghetti noodles with garlic and chili, and Christopher had Gnocci. </div><div><br /></div><div>We went back to the hotel and Christopher went out to grab some cash for a taxi and came back with Gelato for me! It was one of the things I wanted, but didn't manage to get it while we were out. He got me pistachio and chocolate and just like everything else in Naples, it was amazing!</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sunset our last day in Naples.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGa0D_htPFEuGzfrfjasp07c5_f94o8kHk7Xg4AbkR2O4PFirIv4kQt_FnPZ65JWfj4bQCAha9cOx1RU2-skGw981967Ps4neIYjXHBU6_9fk3j_paI5fM0EbmigYvaAEjjfmv04kpp01/s320/DSC_0715.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549872918872031586" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>So yeah, basically we ate our way through Naples and it was fantastic! We had a great time. The language was beautiful and we're going to work on learning a bit more before heading back down there sometime next year. My dream is to spend at least 2 weeks in Italy seeing as much as we can. I want to go to Rome and Vatican city, Bologna, Venice, Tuscany and Sicily if we can manage it. For now, I'm just happy we at least got to step foot in the country I've dreamed about seeing my entire life. I'm excited to explore the country more; Naples was a lot of fun and it was great, but it was so dirty. There was trash everywhere; apparently the trash guys were on strike and had been for a while, so garbage was piled up EVERYWHERE. I'm hoping the rest of Italy isn't like that. </div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-1728455877636254072010-11-27T23:15:00.002+00:002010-11-27T23:20:37.916+00:00First Snow!This morning we woke up to the lightest dusting of white stuff! The first snow of the season is upon us! <div><br /></div><div>Everyone is saying its going to be a rough winter this year... apparently they're calling for lots of snow. I will perfectly fine with all that snow as long as a) we have heat (which we should have by the 15th of December--they start work on replacing everything on the 10th) and b) we can still get out and about and travel with Mymom and Grampy who arrive in England in a week!!! </div><div><br /></div><div>I cant believe that some of my favorite people on Earth get to come out and spend Christmas with us!!! We have a lot planned for their trip and I want to be able to get out and see things... so the snow needs to hold off. </div><div><br /></div><div>Our itinerary includes: London (of course), Paris, possibly Italy (fingers crossed on this one!), Brighton, Windsor Castle, Leeds, and lots more! Of course, pictures and blogs will follow!</div><div><br /></div><div>Hope everyone has had a great shopping weekend-- we've spent the weekend perusing the sales online trying to find things we cant live without. </div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-84974461640370275412010-11-27T00:04:00.002+00:002010-11-27T00:09:24.085+00:00100!With all the blogging I've been doing this month (in honor of National Blog Posting Month), I've been able to reach some pretty awesome stats on the blogs! I hit 100 posts on the baby blog a few posts ago and today, 100 posts on the travel blog! <div><br /></div><div>I wish I had an epic post for my 100th, but we've not done a lot of traveling this year. We realized that we've only been to Paris and the States...no where near the amount of traveling that we wanted to do this year. </div><div><br /></div><div>Next year is our last year in England and we WILL travel. We're definitely still planning a cruise at the beginning of the year (we're trying to decide between January, February, and March), so we'll hopefully see a couple of Italian ports, Spain, and maybe even Greece and/or Egypt. </div><div><br /></div><div>We also want to go and spend some time in Italy. We're hoping to do a week-10 days for our anniversary next year. I would also love to go back to Germany at Christmas... that was one of the coolest things we've experienced since we've been over here, so I'd love to do it again. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, pretty much a pointless post today... but a promise to ourselves and to everyone who reads and is interesting in our worldly travels--we WILL travel next year, come hell or high water! :)</div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-26972953426285228132010-11-26T00:25:00.002+00:002010-11-26T00:34:35.682+00:00Happy thanksgiving!<div style="text-align: left;">We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We got together with friends from my work and had a massive spread of food!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOhX0t6naTAWMNlDgI-AVoIURpaejGhzwJY-GT4Gr6wxs6b0vB8V1psnHAH6LtD6V0qFfVjxGSJcHnLm4LEV5xgXVekmA4g8ZUXTQ3gh-zqXeu8Fvz4q-3yF6rm_ORC0plDRxK8tD71Yf/s320/DSC_0124.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543648733975168450" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><br /><div>I posted on the baby blog about everything I'm thankful for... but most of all, friends and family. Being so far away from home during the Holidays can be difficult, but phone calls, emails, and skype make it a little easier to be physically so far. Having good friends definitely helps as well... </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbpGCaoJwJARWEJSFxtweNgYajY0QrbCX_9mpU2rZybS0GEm-cFdG1bKLy0FcejXhRncWMWGHMjhdqM_R1NPTUht0D_N7e3CvP0Dt-tbVwONtLORZbsrCEuBzVRUzK5agwq4Gj0BCpIPW/s320/DSC_0131.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543648735871565986" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>I hope everyone across the world had a fabulous Thanksgiving!</div></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-65735810446923552262010-11-23T00:03:00.003+00:002010-11-23T00:20:55.397+00:00Harry Potter 7 Pt 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8JjbOAx4rJpNnIoxWzadpVUTepI1UYeiT21XNEMqMN4ooVqNnKxwBTwzyHF32xXEPPFMeNEx3zenpDkXo7EL2dWKHsAvFf0Q1vrWLyJsV2UsBcURPc_zL39QEbxlP5hJbhyMbNk15tRG/s1600/HP.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8JjbOAx4rJpNnIoxWzadpVUTepI1UYeiT21XNEMqMN4ooVqNnKxwBTwzyHF32xXEPPFMeNEx3zenpDkXo7EL2dWKHsAvFf0Q1vrWLyJsV2UsBcURPc_zL39QEbxlP5hJbhyMbNk15tRG/s320/HP.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542529604149551090" /></a><br />So, those of you who know me know that I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan. Judge all you want, I really dont care... I fell in love with the books long before the movies came out. The last book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" is not only my favorite Harry Potter book (minus the epilogue...hello JK Rowling, I need more than that...lol), it is probably my favorite book of all time. Again, judge all you want, I dont care. <div><br /></div><div>Anyway, every time we go to see one of the movies, I always leave dissatisfied. They always leave too much out and change things they shouldn't change (do I need to talk about what they did to the Burrow in the last movie...ugh). Anyway, no one ever likes going to see them with m because I critique... well, bitch really, about everything. </div><div><br /></div><div>This time, I left the theatre and wasn't totally and completely disappointed. There were a few things that I really missed that they left out, but nothing too major. I actually said it was decent adaptation. Christopher freaked out and was like, that's like you saying its the best movie ever! </div><div><br /></div><div>So yeah, it was alright. I'm excited for the last movie... but I'm sad its the last. Just like I'm sad the books are done. JK Rowling needs to get on it and write some more... I have not had enough of Harry Potter! </div><div><br /></div><div>On a side note... it is SO different watching the movies once you've lived over here. Like the Dursley's house? SO British! The wallpaper, the decor, the neighborhood, everything. </div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-3372382274486630542010-11-20T23:42:00.002+00:002010-11-21T00:01:49.814+00:00Again, I really dont make this stuff up.Today we ventured out to Birmingham with our friends Liz and Tim to the Christmas Market. We hit crazy traffic in the town center trying to find a parking garage. And then we found the parking garage, parked, and got ready to walk out when Christopher shut the trunk and then a string of explicatives came bursting out of his mouth. He locked the keys in the trunk. <div> </div><div>We called the AA (their version of AAA) and waited for an hour til they showed up. We walked around the market while we waited and then the guys went to meet the AA guy. Liz and I ventured around and finally decided to go and see how they were getting along. Luckily we did because they were trying to unlock my car all wrong (its a push button thing instead of pulling it to unlock.. Saturn's are weird). So, after trying to unlock the door with a long, metal coat hanger looking thing, and then trying to pop the trunk for what felt like forever in the freezing parking garage, to no avail, the AA guy gave up and left. And we were left trying to figure out what to do. </div><div><br /></div><div>We ended up grabbing some dinner and walking around the rest of the market before heading to the train station. We found out to get a ticket from Birmingham to Huntingdon, we'd have to go through London and our tickets would cost about £60 EACH (that's like almost $100) and there were 4 of us. Not cool. So, we checked with a cab company and found out they would only charge us £120 (about $200). MUCH better. Plus, instead of getting to Huntingdon at 1am, we got back at 10:30... which ended up giving the boys enough time to head back to get the car before the garage closed. </div><div><br /></div><div>Let me just tell you a little bit about the car ride back. We were serenaded by the most ridiculous hip hop and pop music from the 90's & early 2000's. It was like being in High School again. Seriously. It was hilarious. And so unbelievably random. Bouncing around between Aqua's "Barbie Girl" to Lauryn Hill to Usher to 50 cent. And the driver blasted it. It was... interesting. Liz and I just kept looking at each other and laughing. </div><div><br /></div><div>Needless to say, it was an interesting/stressful day. We had a decent time at the Market, but we were all a little, um, irritated. I'm holed up in our bedroom with a glass of wine, two space heaters (we STILL have no heat), and Sex and the City while Christopher goes to rescue the car. </div><div>The lesson for today? Always have spare keys with you. </div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-13970897106737768772010-11-11T21:58:00.002+00:002010-11-11T22:01:57.670+00:00Veterans Day<div style="text-align: left;">Today, November 11th, I salute and thank all of our Military members... past and present. I thank each and every one of you for your sacrifice, honor, and love of our Country. Without the dedication of our military members, the US wouldn't be the amazing place it is today! I'm proud to be an american and the Wife and Daughter of a veteran!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvvC4MI5jmXf3-o88C3vWffbqfPYC6Oh0Z8dZzC5wyOzgPrCtCqbUOAB4Uyibq7Top1hVyXddJ2Z6f_OjsyFC-atx8UIXxCcwqZX2G6U1gfui1X2N27rek7hybRALZvgK9dQ69XaYDMR3/s320/DSCN5913.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538415373690872946" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-22294619286460546922010-11-05T13:02:00.003+00:002010-11-05T13:12:51.031+00:00I know, I know.<div style="text-align: left;">Yeah, yeah, yeah... I've been neglecting the Travel Blog. I know. We really haven't been doing much of anything lately with all the baby stuff going on (see baby blog for details).</div><div><br /></div><div>We went to the Navy ball on October 16th and that was pretty fun. I love getting all dressed up and seeing Christopher all decked out in his dress uniform! </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYNp-ZZK4lgQ_FkEe2y26At0QXfVbIf6Cs2uVh3TADj4acLECTz2CGWGw_0qLXiGQxtv2jkn-R6-g-6r1LgYOoHuIG3ApPWON6DrRxwo76hdOmvvNaq7XiBFrK9hwas91KJbTtDrL026p/s320/DSC_0072.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536051577566245378" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div>We also carved pumpkins with the Gray's and hung out with them on Halloween, handing out candy to the kids in their neighborhood. Mom Wofford bought Angus a Sailor outfit for Halloween, which he really didn't mind too much (well, except for the hat). </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslZExK5QDkYBD0P-a-YEI0GCkJVdXYN3pntGhzoL3i36hrzenzQVykoZbYN3aMPRtTUcx-EHS5sOqvhjgADu6OIRuEJovX_zvRmrIULm_sBxclzWWombFXSoRRTxsh3VMSKWcUQLrMuUs/s320/DSC_0208.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536051587093490178" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>Oh, and this is proof that I dont completely disregard all holidays but Christmas. I have a fall wreath and we carved a pumpkin! lol</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISahI5ixXeHCK18k3JPv9IKlub9f_JkFEUUT8DqnlLx5BjHE4RE9hHF4ugjtNGE2o4DqADHw6wdjMiwum0mddaaaUG_gbwOIx7VRYPWfujGe5ZzPTBLnZ8xD8Af2ultSiBiGpn3ILt1FL/s320/DSC_0199.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536051581542022866" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">On Halloween, we were talking to our friend Hannah, whose husband is TDY to Holland right now, about the cruise they're taking in January. They're going on an Eastern Med Cruise that will port in Croatia, Greece, Egypt, Israel, and Italy! Amazing! So, I think that we're going to tag along... and I think the Gray's are too... so we're getting really excited about that. Egypt and Israel are places that you dont really travel to alone... they're just not the safest places in the world. But, to take a cruise and be with a large group of people makes them at least safe enough where we feel comfortable to go. I am sooo beyond excited! With everything that's gone on this year, we need a really stellar start to 2011!</span></span></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-86109478646071373792010-10-09T01:09:00.003+01:002010-10-09T01:31:06.569+01:00Something to do.I feel like I've been neglecting the blog lately... what can I say after having 2 months off from work, we're not really traveling right now...lol. <div><br /></div><div>We planned to go to Belgium this weekend, but ended up having to cancel our plans. So, I have no idea what we're going to get into this Columbus day weekend, but we'll see. </div><div><br /></div><div>For now, here's some random questions that I got from a fellow blogger... </div><div><br /></div><div><b>1) What is the longest road trip you have ever taken?</b></div><div>Probably from NC to Florida. I tend to sleep a lot in cars (I actually sleep better in a car than I do in a bed...lol), so I know I slept most of the way to Florida, so that doesn't really count. The drive from San Diego to the Grand Canyon felt longer, even though it wasn't since I stayed awake and kept the husband company. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>2) Do you collect anything? </b></div><div>Books. Our goal is to have a fabulous library, plus I cant part with books... I just cant. Also, Christmas stuff. Ornaments, decor, music... if it has anything to do with Christmas, I want it. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>3) What is your favorite part about being an adult?</b></div><div>Everything. I love being married, having our own place, having friendships based on more than just silly kid things, traveling, etc. I love it! </div><div><br /></div><div><b>4) What song brings tears to your eyes?</b></div><div>There are two songs that will always make me cry. One is "Will I?" from Rent and the other is "Those You've Known" from Spring Awakening. The song from Rent is a song that's sung in a Life Support Meeting for people with AIDS and some of the main characters go to the meeting and sing and it is absolutely heart breaking and if you dont cry when you listen to it, you have no heart. The song from Spring Awakening talks about people that you've known still walking beside you even when they're gone and its just awesome. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>5) Describe your first plane ride (how old were you, where were you heading, etc).</b></div><div>I honestly dont remember my first plane ride. Dad is a pilot and has been my entire life, so I really cant tell you the first time I rode in a plane or where we went. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;font-size:100%;color:#606060;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-63367019670626944832010-09-12T19:31:00.005+01:002010-09-12T19:40:57.452+01:00MUSE<div style="text-align: left;">On Friday, September 10th, Christopher and I celebrated our 9 year dating anniversary. And yes, we still celebrate our dating anniversary. We spent the day in London, eating Sushi and walking around the markets in Camden Town and we finished off our evening at Wembley Stadium seeing my favorite band..... MUSE!!! I have wanted to see them in concert for ages, and it was by chance, luck, and the love of my amazing husband that we managed to get tickets!</div><div><br /></div><div>They were absolutely incredible! I was completely blown away! I was hesitant to get too excited, because seeing a band you love live, you just never know if they're going to be as good as you hope they will be. Muse exceeded all expectations and moved up the list to the top spot of my favorite bands!</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBNgI5B2zEyCg2Xmnb0Dn3crcRfD4QMJVq5TvvLEGWDnoaj9ONJTfppEAMmerX5U0nADoTHmpZXl9QPN9rfv6Nh3itdruezxmGv6VA0Enw3cPXw8-a6WlKhoAfJt_EtIlv_2GPF9q97v0/s1600/DSC_0005.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBNgI5B2zEyCg2Xmnb0Dn3crcRfD4QMJVq5TvvLEGWDnoaj9ONJTfppEAMmerX5U0nADoTHmpZXl9QPN9rfv6Nh3itdruezxmGv6VA0Enw3cPXw8-a6WlKhoAfJt_EtIlv_2GPF9q97v0/s320/DSC_0005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516097567319202690" style="text-decoration: underline;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Arial, verdana, tahoma, georgia, sans-serif;font-size:medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="">During Lily Allen's set (she was one of 3 bands/artists who opened for them)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJNBixBoVn7lwmyzlICgaXWD5SqzpD9bjDRoqGarPReUsvjW1XxXDE6XD0prbf_4dAJo37reyhXnxbcZYAVhYxGI1g0UkXwSXYvMGfNW6yPmtpsNF35Hqq5FH2nNhrAdyYc59zqiLRLs3/s1600/DSC_0021.JPG"><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJNBixBoVn7lwmyzlICgaXWD5SqzpD9bjDRoqGarPReUsvjW1XxXDE6XD0prbf_4dAJo37reyhXnxbcZYAVhYxGI1g0UkXwSXYvMGfNW6yPmtpsNF35Hqq5FH2nNhrAdyYc59zqiLRLs3/s320/DSC_0021.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516098544785753874" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;">The stage!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:16px;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsTpJf-yh19VvsQghJotYJp6q3qZCuWHXAL6XI260hlkQ5HPPDSTMvTLYMt3QMUhq-Zfw6cQRAmkNVY4jde5hJrbrOboJwpD5ys4yUyvkt22ZvdmTmfnKrag2JyMP7w4IPBbCLOBMlYku/s1600/DSC_0079.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsTpJf-yh19VvsQghJotYJp6q3qZCuWHXAL6XI260hlkQ5HPPDSTMvTLYMt3QMUhq-Zfw6cQRAmkNVY4jde5hJrbrOboJwpD5ys4yUyvkt22ZvdmTmfnKrag2JyMP7w4IPBbCLOBMlYku/s320/DSC_0079.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516097581551640882" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;">Here's the set list, in case anyone loves Muse and is curious! </span></div></span></div></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Arial, verdana, tahoma, georgia, sans-serif;font-size:medium;"><ol style="margin-bottom: 1em; "><li id="song01" style="text-align: left;font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">Uprising (extended)</li><li id="song02" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">Supermassive Black Hole</li><li id="song03" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">New Born + Township Rebellion riff <small>(watch)</small></li><li id="song04" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)</li><li id="song05" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">Glastonbury 2004 intro + Butterflies & Hurricanes</li><li id="song06" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">Guiding Light</li><li id="song07" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">Interlude + Hysteria</li><li id="song08" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">Nishe</li><li id="song09" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">United States of Eurasia</li><li id="song10" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">I Belong to You (Mon Cœur S'ouvre à Ta Voix)</li><li id="song11" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">Feeling Good</li><li id="song12" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">MK Jam</li><li id="song13" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">Undisclosed Desires</li><li id="song14" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">Adagio in G minor + Resistance</li><li id="song15" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">Starlight</li><li id="song16" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">House of the Rising Sun riff + Time Is Running Out + Power of Soul riff</li><li id="song17" style=" line-height: 14px; font-size:12px;">Unnatural Selection<h5 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size:1em;"><span class="mw-headline">Encore 1</span></h5></li><li id="song18" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">Soldier's Poem</li><li id="song19" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">Exogenesis: Symphony Part I: Overture</li><li id="song20" style=" line-height: 14px; font-size:12px;">Stockholm Syndrome<h5 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size:1em;"><span class="mw-headline">Encore 2</span></h5></li><li id="song21" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">Take a Bow</li><li id="song22" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">Plug In Baby</li><li id="song23" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">Man with a Harmonica + Knights of Cydonia</li><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 14px;font-size:12px;"><br /></span></span></div></ol></span></div><br /></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-64983435150184169932010-09-09T12:21:00.003+01:002010-09-09T12:32:11.258+01:00It's that time of year again!<div style="text-align: left;">Well, there's a crispness in the air and our apple tree is producing more fruit than we know what to do with! So far I've mad 2 apple cakes, 2 apple pies, and homemade apple sauce. Christopher and our landlord and some friends are going to brew some Hard Cider starting this weekend, so that'll help use up some of the apples that are littering our yard.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNiJ4jPVnmMY2sZg0oOVPzIr_3D4tnIdMqKZf79YjL4EoND0943_695TPk4f1YAjbYoDRTDn5L3rS-8xh3121UqspCm944qupV0xyoY_yzjfqKjw0qDBAq1ElLNWQhaYSepQ27EdHB-WEY/s1600/DSC_0673.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNiJ4jPVnmMY2sZg0oOVPzIr_3D4tnIdMqKZf79YjL4EoND0943_695TPk4f1YAjbYoDRTDn5L3rS-8xh3121UqspCm944qupV0xyoY_yzjfqKjw0qDBAq1ElLNWQhaYSepQ27EdHB-WEY/s320/DSC_0673.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514873751128645218" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div>I have a list of things that once (if) we ever settle down and buy a house that are must haves for our home. Apple trees are pretty high up on that list now. There really is nothing like walking outside, picking some apples off a tree and coming inside and baking a pie. Its really... cool. </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hTZv-PoyYURSUzRV3yFhyJIdbcSNvNPIcwFRfxNrtK1Kx-HC2TPk7_Inybhf6Ej0-yxn8HDZWIG5uwf5TLA0xTI6CNJwX1YeXCRu83wm9WpYlEltSxM90PlmA9c3uowqJXSK3vnmHNqs/s1600/DSC_0675.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hTZv-PoyYURSUzRV3yFhyJIdbcSNvNPIcwFRfxNrtK1Kx-HC2TPk7_Inybhf6Ej0-yxn8HDZWIG5uwf5TLA0xTI6CNJwX1YeXCRu83wm9WpYlEltSxM90PlmA9c3uowqJXSK3vnmHNqs/s320/DSC_0675.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514873761252587234" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div>Pie crust is one of the first things I really made the effort to learn how to make. Its funny now, as much as I love to cook, but when I was younger, I refused to get in the kitchen and help... it drove my mom crazy. But once I got married and realized I needed to feed Christopher and myself, I got in the kitchen and got to learning. My grandma, Mymom, taught me how to make pie crust... its something that I was instantly pretty decent at and I've gotten better over the years. There's still times when I get frustrated and have to start all over again because I haven't taken the humidity outside into consideration or whatever, but for the most part, baking a pie is one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen. </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYY5BE8_wCjZ8FubU9_crTtD_zC05v94Grfdop-jqRuoxo7XhlDKKf8GzO0a19m2z3JPpFPLc-wIsJ-1a4QErLdLcTG19vz7TBV-jw-XVBvfXPFT1GhoBaAgDSbHS1tlg1NKcWYNxdtwmL/s1600/DSC_0587.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYY5BE8_wCjZ8FubU9_crTtD_zC05v94Grfdop-jqRuoxo7XhlDKKf8GzO0a19m2z3JPpFPLc-wIsJ-1a4QErLdLcTG19vz7TBV-jw-XVBvfXPFT1GhoBaAgDSbHS1tlg1NKcWYNxdtwmL/s320/DSC_0587.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514873768787506482" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>While we were in the states this summer, we went into a Williams and Sonoma and I found one of the scalloped edged rolly things to cut dough with. Best $5 I've ever spent! I love the way the dough looks now with the edges like that!</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD091lEDg-3_CEyqqT_glrJs51pYSbARV_mmfl3T0loWwboPaww2ad2-Y9XcEpuPw70ajuP-BGlypnjWEQokpt1v84PrVobgHjHawIvJd1Opd4bZmI5LlygdZR8AKS4mxPWwGswI-sBsH1/s1600/DSC_0593.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD091lEDg-3_CEyqqT_glrJs51pYSbARV_mmfl3T0loWwboPaww2ad2-Y9XcEpuPw70ajuP-BGlypnjWEQokpt1v84PrVobgHjHawIvJd1Opd4bZmI5LlygdZR8AKS4mxPWwGswI-sBsH1/s320/DSC_0593.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514873778281437842" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div>After it came out of the oven... perfection--if I do say so myself..lol</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7TE6tO-JyR7n1az2XaqIHdFd4bgP6KNJZjO7xRpG5MRwuqXPkQzFYBNrEf1Co6J57ByGZLzviuVqfYZ_Jlfk-BA1VdbK_yv51SrF1AgdyoyJlITE46ZQsg9XRg7ZhszSxGiVSWiuoBiI/s1600/DSC_0625.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7TE6tO-JyR7n1az2XaqIHdFd4bgP6KNJZjO7xRpG5MRwuqXPkQzFYBNrEf1Co6J57ByGZLzviuVqfYZ_Jlfk-BA1VdbK_yv51SrF1AgdyoyJlITE46ZQsg9XRg7ZhszSxGiVSWiuoBiI/s320/DSC_0625.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514873785309250946" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-56207044363701174262010-08-31T14:25:00.005+01:002010-08-31T14:50:53.274+01:00The meal of our lives!<div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><b></b></span></span></div><div>On Friday, August 27th, Christopher and I celebrated our 5th Wedding Anniversary. Its hard to believe that its been 5 years since we said our vows; we've seen and done so much in such a small amount of time! We decided to celebrate in London at the restaurant Gordon Ramsey at Claridge's. If I had to describe the evening and the meal in one word, it would be: <b>Surreal</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>We chose to have the tasting menu; The Menu Prestige, which consisted of 6 courses. The first course was an Amuse Bouche. An Amuse Bouche is like a pre-appetizer; a small hors d'oeuvre that is designed to whet the appetite and ready the palette. Our Amuse Bouche was a small cup of soup; lemon grass and ginger with chunks of apples. It was my least favorite course of the evening, but it wasn't bad. </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJujpySqAAQTJP97LHdnwb1WjZi7LWsuPZpGV-hYRLmeMrCQnjQV4OKn18qApO7TpNPjP6eYh71eoYutng99KGzIzdthTGIEDwJ-l4xB6POZTBNh0iypoMQX5MdC-UnIQi0KK82DU0f5gT/s1600/DSC_0021.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJujpySqAAQTJP97LHdnwb1WjZi7LWsuPZpGV-hYRLmeMrCQnjQV4OKn18qApO7TpNPjP6eYh71eoYutng99KGzIzdthTGIEDwJ-l4xB6POZTBNh0iypoMQX5MdC-UnIQi0KK82DU0f5gT/s320/DSC_0021.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511565963292915778" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div>Course number 2 was <b>my</b> favorite! Pan seared salmon with Parma Ham, watercress salad, and Horseradish Ice Cream. Yes, you read that right, Horseradish Ice Cream. It was... to die for! The salmon melted in your mouth... it was incredible. And the ice cream was amazing! </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbAG4GLhlr4UzW-b0cUnwyXmBIeyb8YExvKzsEGoiG_o-pnvIwaDS1jLPQpTxzLkZu__dUwh5MJrj_oVWgFwPKyvTbiFDhcOrQBDLzCXR2TTwxn5XTcus6Cb6mb5cck2Q1aFEdlVlSV2a/s1600/DSC_0023.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbAG4GLhlr4UzW-b0cUnwyXmBIeyb8YExvKzsEGoiG_o-pnvIwaDS1jLPQpTxzLkZu__dUwh5MJrj_oVWgFwPKyvTbiFDhcOrQBDLzCXR2TTwxn5XTcus6Cb6mb5cck2Q1aFEdlVlSV2a/s320/DSC_0023.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511565970199275826" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div>Course 3 was lobster and crawfish ravioli in a lemongrass and coconut bisque. It was divine! When you see the picture, I know you're thinking, wow, just one ravioli? But seriously, with six courses, I was fine with just little tastes of everything! We were so stuffed when we left! </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkPh3owRohGPHfTg7l9w-QcwajRYqhyphenhyphenSa96Ru5RvoRzru_QS50uuzkQgje-vDTd3NEID04xM3sMVcubo_k5f9ShyphenhyphenyE7odSneoJeWrNFe1rJYGBcG_eRbSCSV0eulTMITGYzmv_34aHbAN/s1600/DSC_0035.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkPh3owRohGPHfTg7l9w-QcwajRYqhyphenhyphenSa96Ru5RvoRzru_QS50uuzkQgje-vDTd3NEID04xM3sMVcubo_k5f9ShyphenhyphenyE7odSneoJeWrNFe1rJYGBcG_eRbSCSV0eulTMITGYzmv_34aHbAN/s320/DSC_0035.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511565977626677762" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div>Course 4 was the main course and we opted to share the Beef Wellington. I had never had it before, most everyone knows I am not a big red meat fan, but Beef Wellington is something that has intrigued me. And rightly so... it was divine! We had it medium-rare (I'll give you all a moment to let that sink in... I, the meat hater, had it RARE...lol), which is what the chef suggested and it literally melted in your mouth. It was a flavor explosion! The different textures were amazing... the crunch of the puff pastry, the sort of creaminess from the mushroom paste, and the beef... just incredible. It was served with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECjJoM79JUMGLdgkW7jUM_WSOX0m00sBuj_lRlvklSpI1ibtGhnU47u2qt4_-NtQXeETcwMf180gQl77I732POnB8VRjShgE60Q9DFwnQiVuKRuCjAZHIYzhFZMIf1GT2_r0ascECChaV/s1600/DSC_0040.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECjJoM79JUMGLdgkW7jUM_WSOX0m00sBuj_lRlvklSpI1ibtGhnU47u2qt4_-NtQXeETcwMf180gQl77I732POnB8VRjShgE60Q9DFwnQiVuKRuCjAZHIYzhFZMIf1GT2_r0ascECChaV/s320/DSC_0040.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511566005085345058" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div>Course 5 was the pre-dessert. It was a 3 layered shot glass of strawberry preserves, buttermilk panacotta, and fresh mint sorbet. It was fabulous! Christopher and I joked that we needed another, that we just weren't ready for dessert-dessert and needed another pre-dessert to get prepped. </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzx9-kJ9l4b2EF4va6NLpK028oIqwWgfaLSMjOsuZIl4qOS-rxaegXB6ODlI0sMRBvTzqW4LAijZUxFzFarxciA26mZbhRw7kp4WINC3lEdXFZSBLHTL_tv4fUuRAWR6uGkBHxVIawwHA/s1600/DSC_0041.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzx9-kJ9l4b2EF4va6NLpK028oIqwWgfaLSMjOsuZIl4qOS-rxaegXB6ODlI0sMRBvTzqW4LAijZUxFzFarxciA26mZbhRw7kp4WINC3lEdXFZSBLHTL_tv4fUuRAWR6uGkBHxVIawwHA/s320/DSC_0041.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511567053790201410" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div>Course 6 was dessert. Christopher had a cold chocolate fondant with raspberries and popcorn. I had a raspberry souffle! Both were amazing! </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTFZMXnj88oCYUdKLluWx6EokCbFFYe7uTwV-_phdiq0UL0smSbM9_qULsb3OQkEulXOdWb29VtPfnwPWqxTRkmueTTnLxYLIRTfHmbeQsxx7ClOHLK6EOpoDD3SGukkwmIl3fVEp5nRr/s1600/DSC_0043.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTFZMXnj88oCYUdKLluWx6EokCbFFYe7uTwV-_phdiq0UL0smSbM9_qULsb3OQkEulXOdWb29VtPfnwPWqxTRkmueTTnLxYLIRTfHmbeQsxx7ClOHLK6EOpoDD3SGukkwmIl3fVEp5nRr/s320/DSC_0043.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511567068844949218" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div>After we finished eating our dessert, one of the managers came out and brought us a small almond cake with a candle in it. In chocolate on the plate, the chef had written Happy Anniversary. Even the almond cake was good...lol </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8J9qo9aebyVSDgIPG0mVtO_dvIs-BgOxzueARg4ImSLq7-ZtGudfR2uohwQbE8A4A2YmAZ71TeIWvoSHz0ugk20nPXy5vme8zHdwLWLxZCY0bTyP1XIY-rGuf6IoNcUhrRej_jDMZWYj/s1600/DSC_0048.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8J9qo9aebyVSDgIPG0mVtO_dvIs-BgOxzueARg4ImSLq7-ZtGudfR2uohwQbE8A4A2YmAZ71TeIWvoSHz0ugk20nPXy5vme8zHdwLWLxZCY0bTyP1XIY-rGuf6IoNcUhrRej_jDMZWYj/s320/DSC_0048.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511567077708594594" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div>After we finished our wine (we had 2 bottles... a pinot grigio and a Rose), the manager came out and asked if we'd had a good anniversary. We told him it had been amazing. He asked if he could make it better... we said sure and he asked us if we'd like to see the kitchen! I think I peed a little! We had seen other tables be asked to visit the kitchen and I was absolutely dying to go! Christopher offered to ask if we could go back there, but I didn't want to be the tacky American's who just asked to see it, ya know? Its much more special if YOU get asked. So anyway, of course we said yes and it was so awesome!!! </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0D6qk0eYTgyHw2_sCzNrMg3m0srS5zxUiRpEDBEaXIsI60sv38G9qQ_XknF4kXyB_trSTh3Mj9bORrYZv98bDjR-kxT6VfTKRFBnHmG8U-LZhRq0GLPQmYKxen4fstg67-hlo5AEv8dO/s1600/DSC_0051.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0D6qk0eYTgyHw2_sCzNrMg3m0srS5zxUiRpEDBEaXIsI60sv38G9qQ_XknF4kXyB_trSTh3Mj9bORrYZv98bDjR-kxT6VfTKRFBnHmG8U-LZhRq0GLPQmYKxen4fstg67-hlo5AEv8dO/s320/DSC_0051.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511567089033999314" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div>We got to see the different stations and even meet the head chef (he's the blonde guy right behind my head). It wasn't the loud, crazy chaotic mess you'd expect it to be. It was relatively quiet (especially compared to what I expected) and so organized. Everything was like a choreographed dance. Beautifully executed. </div><div><br /></div><div>There is a section of the kitchen called the Chef's Table (its actually right in front of where we are standing), and its a table that you can book with up to 6 people and you get to dine IN the kitchen. The chef creates a menu just for your party, you get your own personal waiter and sommelier and we ARE doing it at some point in our time here. </div><div><br /></div><div>I've also made the decision to go to Culinary School. I realized that food is a serious passion of mine and I would be stupid not to do something with it. Its going to be expensive and a challenge, but its going to be so worth it! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-75636291188755052452010-08-25T06:34:00.003+01:002010-08-25T06:49:42.577+01:00Summer!<div style="text-align: left;">As most everyone knows, Christopher and I both managed to be stateside most of the summer! Christopher had a class he had to attend in Virginia Beach and he ended up being able to take a little bit of leave both before and after his class and got to go to North Carolina for the first time in about a year and a half. It was an absolutely PACKED summer "vacation".... we definitely didn't do much relaxing...lol</div><div><br /></div><div>The first weekend Christopher was home, Josh, Brandie, and Izzie came down from Washington DC to visit! We went hiking, celebrated the 4th of July, Dad's Birthday, fought some robots (according to Iz), and all in all had a wonderful time! </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">South Mountain State Park</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJk7joeKJZ2y2UXwGmuJd-DrR5h-ZQpb1mDQR8tHKssjlumIZvVTft9zi8q9x7eCuWfNooyK0UJdYYXg9-zR59PpOo-g8cd7M81-f3DiDOP261UlOlwBaujq5l7k7x06ckXBuIeHdYAFBK/s1600/DSC_0335.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJk7joeKJZ2y2UXwGmuJd-DrR5h-ZQpb1mDQR8tHKssjlumIZvVTft9zi8q9x7eCuWfNooyK0UJdYYXg9-zR59PpOo-g8cd7M81-f3DiDOP261UlOlwBaujq5l7k7x06ckXBuIeHdYAFBK/s320/DSC_0335.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509218303003898754" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div>We hiked more later that week, but I dont have pictures on this computer...lol. We, and by we I mean, Me, Christopher, Mom & Dad Wofford, Mom & Dad Koenig, Jared, Matthew, Carly, Carly's Mom and Dad, and Carly and Matt's dog Abby...lol. It was a full crew of us hiking around. We went to Brown Mountain and it was gorgeous!</div><div><br /></div><div>I went up to VA Beach to visit Christopher for the weekend and we headed down to the Outer Banks. Both of us spent most of our lives in NC and had never been to the outer banks! So that was pretty fun. We saw Cape Hatteras light house (which is the tallest brick lighthouse in the world) and climbed the steps to the top!</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc41Gp5ZYlcqLpO_rjeqT97c4NUnQnQUik_8OqHE6OPnQJ0JDP0bnoRsEqYjStXEt1ToB-2Nlnk4bkiD6IgUgWWD0nPMgkogab8eV04cvAwSDoBeG7eEj8tPzihGI5IsBQcbd0mhSWOWOh/s1600/DSC_0123.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc41Gp5ZYlcqLpO_rjeqT97c4NUnQnQUik_8OqHE6OPnQJ0JDP0bnoRsEqYjStXEt1ToB-2Nlnk4bkiD6IgUgWWD0nPMgkogab8eV04cvAwSDoBeG7eEj8tPzihGI5IsBQcbd0mhSWOWOh/s320/DSC_0123.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509218311723619474" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div>He came home the weekend after that and went with me to Jenn Love's wedding! </div><div><br /></div><div>His mom and Dad and I went back up to VA Beach a couple of weeks later and we did the outer banks thing all over again. Hatteras, The Wright Brother's Memorial, and the beach! </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0utd5ALZjjJPSV61zK9dGvwhcoo1zvm8PiXtSdvHb0leB4w2Y5JpP7JmxosD7oYV-NSmKk2Tj9C_Tof1koc5IKmletR-EXkkL6fcE_AFlwJiC58de2gFdiVsKhj564SDh49K2EqbarXG/s1600/DSC_0195.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0utd5ALZjjJPSV61zK9dGvwhcoo1zvm8PiXtSdvHb0leB4w2Y5JpP7JmxosD7oYV-NSmKk2Tj9C_Tof1koc5IKmletR-EXkkL6fcE_AFlwJiC58de2gFdiVsKhj564SDh49K2EqbarXG/s320/DSC_0195.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509218321166003426" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 306px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Cyd9mmOLUmK4z4GncjJNcX7hs5pLliLFjXKbANJQsQ1ijqqgh6hqCgi8iGmHLAveyWOysLma94wvylD0kZSRfHzc455JW6h8LMgh6YV7oCRfMfFXG2CHjVKepycCLuOVAOPnN7FdndO8/s1600/DSC_0386.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Cyd9mmOLUmK4z4GncjJNcX7hs5pLliLFjXKbANJQsQ1ijqqgh6hqCgi8iGmHLAveyWOysLma94wvylD0kZSRfHzc455JW6h8LMgh6YV7oCRfMfFXG2CHjVKepycCLuOVAOPnN7FdndO8/s320/DSC_0386.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509218334620034850" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div>Christopher graduated from school and had a little over a week of leave in NC before he headed back to England. In the middle of that week, I headed out to San Francisco to see our friends Kellea and Aaron and the new addition to their family and my God-Son; Kylan! I spent 9 days in California, helping them out and doing a little bit of sight seeing. </div><div><br /></div><div>We attempted to go to a donut shop that was featured on Food Network for their Maple and Bacon donuts, but they were sold out of said specialty because, as the rude and snippy girl who was working said; "Those are just too popular". Lame. But the rest of San Fran was cool! We drove up Lombard street and it literally felt like I was laying down it was so steep. We walked around Pier 39 and had dinner at an awesome restaurant overlooking the bay. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The view from the top of Lombard Street</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRD7X69hdQeQvHt3gY63X4OKh9AlDwyRQJqca4SXqVi4oj7J4342i5RFRgf5esQVzMcBQrZCwWNcVngC3P0X9MqCgGVdDz599TbR-YXrHDxHrGlUfHSrrfc7KxqOm_VJESE9eI3XrNkFv2/s1600/DSC_0038.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRD7X69hdQeQvHt3gY63X4OKh9AlDwyRQJqca4SXqVi4oj7J4342i5RFRgf5esQVzMcBQrZCwWNcVngC3P0X9MqCgGVdDz599TbR-YXrHDxHrGlUfHSrrfc7KxqOm_VJESE9eI3XrNkFv2/s320/DSC_0038.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509218346253585266" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div>There was SO much more, but I'm back in the UK, exhausted and ready for a nap, so I'm signing off! Stay tuned for more Europe travels... we're planning a Mediterranean Cruise soon!</div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010305509742082661.post-37838674338692811942010-06-21T13:04:00.006+01:002010-06-21T13:43:23.068+01:00The Peak District!<div style="text-align: left;">Yesterday, Christopher, Angus, and I headed up North towards what's called The Peak District. It starts about 3o minutes or so past Nottingham and I guess it's where some of the highest "peaks" in England are. I say "peaks", because compared to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, England's peaks are really just decent sized hills. But, I digress.</div><br />We stopped in a town called Castleton. Its a really cute town and there was so much to do! We started out with lunch (which turned out to not be so great...note to self, if we go back, dont eat at the Three Roof's Cafe), and then headed up to see Peveril Castle. <div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEn4hPKS5Vc4E1ad9vr8kYjLaAXrVHp9GXwUSwN09UoLmSlh7Gc20JbMOSqJkqQwzDQA0JEljsZ8nyPV36lsLrm3wnqyBzm07FA1oQKg0OXSKE1k02ajop0cxGFjfwGZDRUC22ObD8VrvJ/s1600/DSC_0081.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEn4hPKS5Vc4E1ad9vr8kYjLaAXrVHp9GXwUSwN09UoLmSlh7Gc20JbMOSqJkqQwzDQA0JEljsZ8nyPV36lsLrm3wnqyBzm07FA1oQKg0OXSKE1k02ajop0cxGFjfwGZDRUC22ObD8VrvJ/s320/DSC_0081.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485198404854607570" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div>The castle sits up on a high hill and overlooks the entire town and surrounding valley. We had to climb basically straight up to get to it... my butt is sore today from the incline! The castle is named after William Peveril, who is said to be an illegitimate child of William 1, though its never been proven. There's not much left of the castle, basically just the wall and the tower. You can see some remnants of other buildings scattered around, but nothing very substantial. Its always neat to see the old castles though. </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJF_KPljVmBWq5W9LK-2ewWhz-7oWYmOQD5DaTH_v8q89aJoqQOzMRX9DAdoyUliLqRQMCWXwSRRqzftKhu6loqSkTdPLh1Z2UyblogncfGfLpuRZXhosIrGaw_Ly5k3JlLV5qm76W_9qg/s1600/DSC_0097.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJF_KPljVmBWq5W9LK-2ewWhz-7oWYmOQD5DaTH_v8q89aJoqQOzMRX9DAdoyUliLqRQMCWXwSRRqzftKhu6loqSkTdPLh1Z2UyblogncfGfLpuRZXhosIrGaw_Ly5k3JlLV5qm76W_9qg/s320/DSC_0097.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485198413423789666" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Angus needed to stop for a drink</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPWuFv4qVncNUEeIvDWnouR7VASeHfKqtf0YAb9V2q957LjBfR9HPBB685bRhEexFW4FWbOXJEO2nYSXzOGCBTY_Sbbwcvtq46t4O0Hw4HIbbnYUPMgbKsnyhK9gVv2GHNpLcVa98LW0k/s1600/DSC_0109.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPWuFv4qVncNUEeIvDWnouR7VASeHfKqtf0YAb9V2q957LjBfR9HPBB685bRhEexFW4FWbOXJEO2nYSXzOGCBTY_Sbbwcvtq46t4O0Hw4HIbbnYUPMgbKsnyhK9gVv2GHNpLcVa98LW0k/s320/DSC_0109.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485198423783589762" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">On top of part of the wall</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEWsrx-wB8odDRV-8vUWj5LcdI0xhlBVMCTP3tyWx8Wp23LOJQvJlWB3UmRjEtFxVbFMobcGjkZCPjfX8uPnCEJfpk4Zw84iLJVKr12N1taQ9w8NJSDfSqUaR7IIhcGMUF2rbrA9g0_6l/s1600/DSC_0129.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEWsrx-wB8odDRV-8vUWj5LcdI0xhlBVMCTP3tyWx8Wp23LOJQvJlWB3UmRjEtFxVbFMobcGjkZCPjfX8uPnCEJfpk4Zw84iLJVKr12N1taQ9w8NJSDfSqUaR7IIhcGMUF2rbrA9g0_6l/s320/DSC_0129.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485198430755377698" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Walking up the stairs to go into the tower</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvDN-YCrMAmjzmJ72yqa3i3hPBpJxYFsCoqNf17Zcp7Oa_5J1Kx1i1rzypY5zaWgvL6JYVHBmyqQMlmsgsrlUFUPEJGEjetEEhYKDKa7fd74n4Afu5miIJdanthWHubEPN3LBwl2exrIsa/s1600/DSC_0148.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvDN-YCrMAmjzmJ72yqa3i3hPBpJxYFsCoqNf17Zcp7Oa_5J1Kx1i1rzypY5zaWgvL6JYVHBmyqQMlmsgsrlUFUPEJGEjetEEhYKDKa7fd74n4Afu5miIJdanthWHubEPN3LBwl2exrIsa/s320/DSC_0148.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485199990608539506" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Inside the bottom of the tower</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLCIN7oJzQDD-SEntPlTJZxT-V2__sB9PYNei8iLTNVOuFChXPD0feV-8oq4LT6ZXLIgTY-TfFDRu2TRqZp1Y4X5InwCPdPZ6twPK_PNDkS_ZqXlyYOJcbQo5jjOZjAhWBcBygkv4uOb1/s1600/DSC_0157.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLCIN7oJzQDD-SEntPlTJZxT-V2__sB9PYNei8iLTNVOuFChXPD0feV-8oq4LT6ZXLIgTY-TfFDRu2TRqZp1Y4X5InwCPdPZ6twPK_PNDkS_ZqXlyYOJcbQo5jjOZjAhWBcBygkv4uOb1/s320/DSC_0157.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485200007679809506" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The view from the top of the hill... it was an absolutely beautiful day!</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvadyShi0jBujjHDyptDOEHiN-ZFtet-0RndHy53YDYEv_8TB_UzWwjt_k8hAg-NF4zR2VM8ej1UcV0O5q3C9YqbKduqNpOalNHmtNPdZ-LJt6gAmQdsntZGRaRoq3AjfLMGFrstu5qfgh/s1600/DSC_0165.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvadyShi0jBujjHDyptDOEHiN-ZFtet-0RndHy53YDYEv_8TB_UzWwjt_k8hAg-NF4zR2VM8ej1UcV0O5q3C9YqbKduqNpOalNHmtNPdZ-LJt6gAmQdsntZGRaRoq3AjfLMGFrstu5qfgh/s320/DSC_0165.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485200013300893682" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Down in Castleton</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPu_yl8mJCpbf42kpQ1O-agtxp92Ezl8p8IogTb0VdToSmok-3IRpjuV5OKDat0xJYg24azEZ4dlRf1XwVY7cq4TIQ_4Tf_uDstAh9saQi8nirkF_dGFYIVG8Z3jTWXgKQIsYVwDDYKvrF/s1600/DSC_0077.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPu_yl8mJCpbf42kpQ1O-agtxp92Ezl8p8IogTb0VdToSmok-3IRpjuV5OKDat0xJYg24azEZ4dlRf1XwVY7cq4TIQ_4Tf_uDstAh9saQi8nirkF_dGFYIVG8Z3jTWXgKQIsYVwDDYKvrF/s320/DSC_0077.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485198386783282674" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Angus took a dip in the creek</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbv0696_qjFqcSFA5Az5nzkDQ5XxE0c1vZsWlmfVBPjog15CRdM_SgwBigdBbAQoeoCPVqzHf8kPF-tgmXOSuqUfP_8qGBHYZbtsVBmYnif0fYETzYPdHZp7MGvXi3KOMfk155UAMJcLwf/s1600/DSC_0174.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbv0696_qjFqcSFA5Az5nzkDQ5XxE0c1vZsWlmfVBPjog15CRdM_SgwBigdBbAQoeoCPVqzHf8kPF-tgmXOSuqUfP_8qGBHYZbtsVBmYnif0fYETzYPdHZp7MGvXi3KOMfk155UAMJcLwf/s320/DSC_0174.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485200028981991026" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div>After the castle, we made our way back down the hill and wandered around the town a little bit before making our way to Peak Cavern (which is also known as the Devil's Arse). They allow dogs on the tours, as long as they stay on their leads, so we took a tour. </div><div><br /></div><div>The reason the cave is known as the Devil's Arse is because of the noises the cave makes when air is rushing through it. They changed the name to Peak Cavern in the 1800's when Queen Victoria was coming to visit, so they wouldn't offend her, but they're back to calling it the Devil's Arse now.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1v093UFX54_uv9-P6tAlbQrz1OGqAziEc3lw6WJ7C0_HtTeYVRrhzcvLUp8XTlnS9z917fqK_UqhS28u9Zf92y9BAfKWyzOZqoseTaVuhVm__7E1UG32fbll5pGHBsB1k8t811PcEW7nj/s1600/DSC_0177.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1v093UFX54_uv9-P6tAlbQrz1OGqAziEc3lw6WJ7C0_HtTeYVRrhzcvLUp8XTlnS9z917fqK_UqhS28u9Zf92y9BAfKWyzOZqoseTaVuhVm__7E1UG32fbll5pGHBsB1k8t811PcEW7nj/s320/DSC_0177.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485200041188965474" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My awesome toe shoes! </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqRWlKVFAxpfTtT-pVK8bUdI2vcY-uh8W8X6GHTsvIgjxGQzXHNhomOhL1z7D7vHzvkSwG66Zec39bz2aiBikK1_q4VkGyOhUFmBnKYpPi7oOEtjvfCYSDbG4L2cd7GApRQKAa7RbIkHv/s1600/DSC_0184.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqRWlKVFAxpfTtT-pVK8bUdI2vcY-uh8W8X6GHTsvIgjxGQzXHNhomOhL1z7D7vHzvkSwG66Zec39bz2aiBikK1_q4VkGyOhUFmBnKYpPi7oOEtjvfCYSDbG4L2cd7GApRQKAa7RbIkHv/s320/DSC_0184.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485201314252038674" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Standing inside the cave looking out. The people who used to dwell here were rope makers. The tour guide even demonstrated how they made rope... it was awesome! They lived and worked in the cave and the children even had to work; they began work at 4 years old!</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3BerpKNNL70ho2oxUZta5yKP8DqwKoujrF2sRFsGLq-3oWjxKBUaof8mjTd282qYpHkU8Wyn6l6aNB0IAcg2JaUJgY09-Rfr-ImC9mI90PuSX0EZ4rPF9lZ4YJxdnPaV4fplsIPou4OW/s1600/DSC_0193.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3BerpKNNL70ho2oxUZta5yKP8DqwKoujrF2sRFsGLq-3oWjxKBUaof8mjTd282qYpHkU8Wyn6l6aNB0IAcg2JaUJgY09-Rfr-ImC9mI90PuSX0EZ4rPF9lZ4YJxdnPaV4fplsIPou4OW/s320/DSC_0193.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485201331290008498" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Rich and famous people used to come visit the cave, and this is how they had to enter. The boat had to go underneath that tiny opening, so they had to lay flat and be pushed underneath, in the pitch black. Back then, people thought that caves were basically direct routes to hell, so not only was it dank and dark in the cave, but there was the added fear that they might be on their way to meet the Devil Himself. Needless to say, a lot of people turned back the way they came and didn't go any deeper into the cave. </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5aGbNky5UKdAuub5tH-UPPK4PhhzJAIR0f-g5z910o0UC_zH6PFQwEHfvPFzqcOMTAx1Cio0pcMMCGNrbYMX0BVZwbkZI_yJr-0K8YXdVCssvnGhTkTTlmjpX1pjZLUMq5OPT7TY8VRR/s1600/DSC_0195.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5aGbNky5UKdAuub5tH-UPPK4PhhzJAIR0f-g5z910o0UC_zH6PFQwEHfvPFzqcOMTAx1Cio0pcMMCGNrbYMX0BVZwbkZI_yJr-0K8YXdVCssvnGhTkTTlmjpX1pjZLUMq5OPT7TY8VRR/s320/DSC_0195.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485201350884925986" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Christopher and Angus by the boat</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7HlyF9cVtLyG__dqx2LagCpNWTCXklfhZqtfJ0YdZokJ5PNsIp3i54hCThrNaFPbZVWuixNBBZK97ILf1ZqporflWIYj7IGT5eRjZq3T9JCyLl3CTFcUYad-7xEpVHF1ZGy4w4wjzZWy/s1600/DSC_0198.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7HlyF9cVtLyG__dqx2LagCpNWTCXklfhZqtfJ0YdZokJ5PNsIp3i54hCThrNaFPbZVWuixNBBZK97ILf1ZqporflWIYj7IGT5eRjZq3T9JCyLl3CTFcUYad-7xEpVHF1ZGy4w4wjzZWy/s320/DSC_0198.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485201361253682466" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">For those brave enough to continue on their tour of the cave, the rope makers would have the children climb up into the orchestra gallery (the hole in the middle of the picture) and wait until their guests got into the room below, and then they would scare them. Whether or not the rope makers took to you depended on what kind of light source you had on your tour. If they liked you, you got a torch, if not, you got a candle, so often times they literally could barely see right in front of them. When they got into the larger rooms, the rope makers would set of fireworks to light up the room. And then the room would fill with smoke and they'd have to make their way out of a dark, smokey cave.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUEcDZ1hdlrinSU8PhA4I0n6V245UwGgExOPfRZAZYdjkusp6bshR0lq1LfvXuHbHk0WE8WmmnobhphcKT6zeD7glyTRf3zI1lSpO_CUR7DUEIGu2WWiIOLHGnx8Kcmpw_LcT2qcjHOAH/s1600/DSC_0208.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUEcDZ1hdlrinSU8PhA4I0n6V245UwGgExOPfRZAZYdjkusp6bshR0lq1LfvXuHbHk0WE8WmmnobhphcKT6zeD7glyTRf3zI1lSpO_CUR7DUEIGu2WWiIOLHGnx8Kcmpw_LcT2qcjHOAH/s320/DSC_0208.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485201373202052402" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div>After the cave, we walked around Castleton some more. We were going to go hike up Mam Tor (one of the peaks), but Angus was done by that time. </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2efIztfTMCJshXUDv1LxQTeTtbxiqxUZVbfFOBrr_G0DvI50owzLyHwKu6wXyPmA3AMDCd9vSNIOjFrqcIZ18jdADgGiILDMj988d8DJUWRe7YYV0dcaeeaK0mf9GlrVzuHtvnBjCycw/s1600/DSC_0220.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2efIztfTMCJshXUDv1LxQTeTtbxiqxUZVbfFOBrr_G0DvI50owzLyHwKu6wXyPmA3AMDCd9vSNIOjFrqcIZ18jdADgGiILDMj988d8DJUWRe7YYV0dcaeeaK0mf9GlrVzuHtvnBjCycw/s320/DSC_0220.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485202269763560114" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Like I said...done. We had to carry him the rest of the way. And, he's not as small as the yorkies. He weighs 23 pounds! </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Pz3jCNE3kue4TGxqn2ho8YumehlMt1hZD9F6f8k8dPjdQhtNhyBVZGTpHRMeb7-_XEhkAf9JiejKtAlax_5AT929eU84N1EDfZxY4Om-RjNo7Wrt5VrktYuo3bwh5hT4mvrP7fDyqwxn/s1600/DSC_0222.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Pz3jCNE3kue4TGxqn2ho8YumehlMt1hZD9F6f8k8dPjdQhtNhyBVZGTpHRMeb7-_XEhkAf9JiejKtAlax_5AT929eU84N1EDfZxY4Om-RjNo7Wrt5VrktYuo3bwh5hT4mvrP7fDyqwxn/s320/DSC_0222.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485202285053060978" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yeah, he's not spoiled at all...</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibLRwhtdJKakq3HdKArzmro4pCx9RJk1p9SoqRyIA6tQMklpyuyQcMVffbM60maWQN4TOYnv-DdnKJKYQKLgLILqvGQQU_Pa-Dh2WteJUfXBvvU1vWmdNjC836UrZmQzYDRRhD0F5a_na/s1600/DSC_0252.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibLRwhtdJKakq3HdKArzmro4pCx9RJk1p9SoqRyIA6tQMklpyuyQcMVffbM60maWQN4TOYnv-DdnKJKYQKLgLILqvGQQU_Pa-Dh2WteJUfXBvvU1vWmdNjC836UrZmQzYDRRhD0F5a_na/s320/DSC_0252.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485202292768240770" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14717499716596379622noreply@blogger.com1