They Say Reentry Is The Tricky Part...

The whole time we were in London, I kept thinking of the experience as an extended stay in Oz. This week has shown me, however, that I was thinking incorrectly. We were not in Oz; we were in outer space. I know this because we didn't tap our shoes together to get home; instead we plummeted back into the U.S. atmosphere at much too steep of an angle!

The first item of our bumpy reentry is that Kyle got sick a few days before we left London and has been unable to shake it--hacking up a lung and feeling totally crummy for almost two weeks now. I feel so badly for him! It sure makes moving less than pleasant...

Then the moving-related fun began late last Saturday night when Kyle found that the only passport not in my purse was mine. (We had gone down into London the week before to take an open-top bus tour and had forgotten to get the passport back out of the jacket pocket--you know, the place it would be safe all day--at the end of the day.) So, my passport had been packed neatly and carted away with our household goods on the slow boat back to Texas two days before we discovered it missing and three days before I needed it to leave the U.K. The fact that the U.S. embassy is only open for passport problems on weekdays and that we were flying out the next day made for a rather sleepless last night in London. We did have a photo copy of it on our computer, so we printed it out, prayed really hard, and headed to the airport Sunday morning, hoping for much border-security mercy. After several phone calls, I was granted a stay of execution and allowed to get on the plane and come home with my family. The flight itself was pretty uneventful, but I was again investigated on this end, but the U.S. border people also pardoned me. I had successfully come home with my family without my passport. YEAH! Let me tell you, the feeling of gratitude has still not worn off!!! Being stuck in London, probably until after Christmas, when my family was in the states would have been terrible.

So we got back to Texas late Sunday night and checked into our corporate apartment, my sweet brother-in-law Dustin meeting us at the airport and then spending the next couple of days with us. They were a whirlwind of activity, too--signing up for mobile phone service, having work done on our pickup truck, getting food in the house, etc. Then Christmas eve morning, Dustin flew back to Idaho and I flew to Tulsa to pick up our new van, almost missing my flight and running through the airport like a mad woman only to end up switching planes and getting delayed by mechanical problems for the next two hours. (We drive up into the North enough during the winter months that we really wanted a four-wheel drive minivan, and Tulsa was the closest place I could find one.) The drive back from Tulsa was uneventful, and I actually got to spend a relaxing Christmas eve with my wonderfully jet-lagged family.

Christmas morning was as wonderful as ever, remembering the Savior together, opening a few gifts, and enjoying being together, but things changed around noon when I started having chest pains, TERRIBLE chest pains. They got progressively worse until I had Kyle take me to the emergency room. After running tests all afternoon at the E.R., the attending physician said he couldn't find anything wrong, would be uncomfortable sending me home, would rather be safe than sorry (or have me dead--spoilsport), and checked me into the cardiac wing of Richardson Regional Hospital. So, I got to spend all Christmas afternoon and night in the hospital--excitement I could have done without, by the way.

Kyle and the kids sprung me from the hospital Friday around noon, and we vegged the rest of the day, me groggy from medication, Kyle groggy from being sick, and the kids bored to tears because both of their parents were comatose. (They never found a cause for my chest pains, by the way, which the doctor says is the case in %80 of the people they see.) We did go to dinner at the home of some of our friends from London who also recently moved back, the Zentners, and the non-hospital part of the day was delightful.

Saturday, however, brought even more fun as I woke up having an allergic reaction to who knows what and looking much like my face had been terribly over-inflated by a sadistic balloon sculptor. I spent the rest of the day taking Benedryl, trying not to scratch my skin off, and wondering when the flies and locusts would arrive. Thankfully, they never did, and the allergic reaction was the last of the plagues.

So today, one week after leaving London, we were too sick to even go to church, but we're all safe and relatively happy. It sure has been a wild week, though! Kyle and I are looking forward to eventually not feeling/looking like the living dead, and the kids are looking forward to having their parents not being so sick. I hope that happens by tomorrow because we're supposed to go looking at houses early tomorrow morning... Yes, Mr. and Mrs. homeowner, Mr. Phlegm and Mrs. Puff would like to make you an offer on your house, just try not to look at them...

You want to know the saddest part of it all? Today is our anniversary! Seventeen years. Happy sickiversary, Kyle--I sure love you! Bet you didn't know you were marrying the elephant girl...

Cardboard Boxes...

No matter how many times I've moved, it's still completely surreal having everything you own (except for what you can take with you on the plane) packed neatly in cardboard boxes and taken away. The movers drive away in a few minutes, and then, as of Sunday, we will no longer be Londoners--we will be Texans.

At what point does this all start to seem real?

Coming Full Circle...

To make a very long and painful story short, our first few weeks in the United Kingdom were a financial nightmare. Getting accounts set up both here and there, convincing all the banks to communicate, and then actually being granted access to our own money was, well, let's just say "difficult" and leave it at that.

That said, I need to take a moment to rant, as with only two weeks left here we seem to have come full circle. How's that, you ask? WELL...

Apparently I was in Jamaica this morning! Well, at least my debit card was, as some thoughtful soul used it to purchase 250 pounds worth of something I'm sure they needed very badly. The bank was nice enough to cancel my card for me, "as a courtesy," and it will "promptly" have another one sent out--"promptly" meaning that they will process the request for a new card in 8-10 business days...a little problematic when you leave the country in 13! Do you know how difficult the last two weeks here are going to be without my only U.K.-money-source-accessing tool? Aargh!!!

Ooh, and, oh yes, one more rant...

If it's going to cost me 250 pounds to have my contract-mandated "professional move-out clean," I AM NOT CLEANING ONE MORE DANG THING (and I wish I wouldn't have wasted significant amounts of time cleaning the last two weeks)!!! On the flip side, though, the moving to-do list just got shorter!

Thanks for letting me rant...

I'm sorry...I thought I heard you say "pub"...

I was answering an email from my sweet sister-in-law, Charlotte, and I realized you all might enjoy this too...

Having been over here, we've had lots of experiences that we knew were one timers, but Enrichment night this week takes the cake. Our church building is being renovated, and our Sunday meetings are being held in a high school while the chapel is under construction. Because we couldn't have Enrichment at the school, they had to look for "an alternate venue." Of course, since this is England, there aren't many even-remotely-affordable alternate venues except for pubs. So, that's where we had our Christmas Enrichment night celebration--at a pub! Forty Latter-Day Saint ladies, all in their fancy clothes, having "nibbles" and non-alcoholic drinks in a pub, and we even had an opening prayer--now that's one you'll never see in the states...!

Overseas Thanksgiving...

Well, I've now experienced my first overseas Thanksgiving--and what an interesting experience it was! I spent the morning going to a nondenominational Thanksgiving service at St. Paul's Cathedral with my friend Julie and a couple thousand of my other closest London-based American friends. St. Paul's is part of the Church of England, but the service was truly non-denominational (with basic Christian sermons and much singing of familiar hymns) and the U.S. Ambassador gave the main address, talking about how blessed we are to have such a great relationship with our British brothers and sisters and what a blessing it is to be here. I found the music to be the most intriguing part of the service; and I learned two important things: 1) it's very hard for people to stay on key in a place that big with such terrible acoustics and Phantom-of-the-Opera organ accompaniment, and 2) singing doesn't have to sound good for the message of joy to be expressed. I enjoyed it immensely (but if you would have told me a year and a half ago I'd be singing Thanksgiving hymns in St. Paul's Cathedral in London on Thanksgiving, I would have thought you were delusional).

Anyway, the children had school (since it wasn't a holiday here--go figure), so after school we went out to dinner with several other American families. The place was actually a pub, since that's what restaurants are here, but it was a VERY NICE pub. The waiter had a little bit of trouble wrapping his mind around the fact that the 20 of us wouldn't be drinking alcohol, but after that the evening went great. There was turkey, but alas, no pumpkin pie--the fruit skewers and dipping chocolate I had were "well nice," though ("nice" is the most commonly used British generic descriptive word, and "well" is used like our "really," like in "well nice" or "well bad"--just thought you'd like to know...).

The festivities continued Friday night, when we were invited over by another American family for dessert--real pumpkin pie! (Mike's in the military and they can shop on base and buy American food...) The kids were thrilled that we got to celebrate two nights in a row, and we all very much enjoyed the hang out and the best pumpkin pie ever (funny how good things taste when you haven't had them in a year).

Even though we weren't at home, Thanksgiving was still the great opportunity to pause and reflect on our blessings that it always is. Though we certainly don't need a holiday to express our gratitude and we should be doing that EVERY day, it's still nice to have one day officially dedicated to everyone being grateful. I'm more grateful for faith, family, and friends than I can even begin to express. Thank you all for being part of our lives and blessing us with your love and friendship. You're such a phenomenal blessing and example! May the joy of Thanksgiving stay with us all and fill our hearts and homes through the coming season as we remember the Savior. Happy Thanksgiving!

Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect £200...

Oh, the lessons we learn in life...

You know that few second lag that we have in the states in between one light turning red and the other turning green? They don't have that here. How do I know this you ask. WELL...

Last night I took Jess, Derik, and Aubrey to a stake youth activity (yep, we have three kids old enough to go to youth activities now--still in denial about that one), and I had the brilliant idea to go grocery shopping while waiting. So Eryn and I had a nice shopping excursion and then headed back to the stake center. While attempting to drive the silly little rental car, shift with the wrong hand, stay in the correct lane, and not kill anyone, however, we went through a light that turned red just as we entered the intersection. THIS IS A BIG NO NO HERE. I know this because the officer that pulled me over explained it to me in detail.

There's also this quirky little law in the U.K. that requires anyone without a U.K. license who is pulled over for any violation to be arrested and taken immediately to trial. Unfortunately, when you are arrested on a Saturday night, trial is Monday morning, and you get to make lots of new jailbird friends while awaiting judgment.

To make the story a little shorter, the officer had pity on me (mostly because Eryn's face, complete with deer-in-the-headlights eyes, was smashed up against the back window of the car sporting the best ever "please don't hurt my mommy" look). After the nice officer ascertained that I wasn't drunk, he explained that he, too, has driven as a foreign national (apparently driving in France on the wrong side of the road with the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car had been rather disconcerting) and told me he wouldn't take me to jail, asking if I was sufficiently scared to drive more carefully in his country. I answered him by bursting into tears.

I learned two things from the experience: 1) life's everyday tender mercies are awesome, and 2) I am taking that child everywhere!


(Oh, yes, Marko asked to see the rental car with a grown up standing next to it, so here it is. Maybe they should start selling these in these in the states--EVERYONE would want one. The problem is whether to sell them at the dealership or in the toy aisle...)

New Toy...

So, we had a fender bender while we were in Scotland (an unfortunate blend of tons of rain, coming over a ridge and traffic being stopped just over the crest because of construction, and not quite being able to stop quickly enough), and our car is in the shop. That is not what this entry is about. This entry is about the rental car we have while the car is being repaired.

Let's just let the picture speak for itself...


It is made by Ford, and it's called a "Ka" (I think they call it that because it's only part of a "car.") No, Eryn has not morphed into a seven-year-old giant--the car really IS that small. And, oh yes, it's a standard (the first few minutes driving this thing while trying to shift with the wrong hand--because after all these months the steering wheel is still on the wrong side--was quite an experience)!

But, hey, on the "bright" side, I dropped the car off Wednesday and got a call yesterday (as a courtesy call update on the vehicle); they think the insurance adjuster may be able to look at it by next Tuesday. They'll let us know at that point, before they begin to repair it, how long it will take to fix it. Isn't that nice?

We actually did smash seven people in it last night to go to dinner for Aubrey’s birthday (walking in the downpour just didn’t sound like much fun)—picture the clown car at the circus. Our audition is Tuesday!

"Colorful" English History...

Do you ever wonder if you or the people around you are a little bit crazy and are just hiding it well? I learned something the other day that will make you feel that both you and your family/friends are 100%, completely normal...

Dustin and I stopped in the small church right next to Westminster Abbey on our whirlwind London sightseeing extravaganza, and I ended up chatting with one of the volunteers. She told me how much she's enjoying learning the history of the building and then shared the following anecdote. Apparently Sir Walter Raleigh, who is believed to have been the queen's consort and is buried under the alter of the church, was beheaded for treason three years after the death of said queen. (Now here's the loopy part...) His grieving widow was so distraught by the whole affair that she kind of broke and started carrying her husband's HEAD around with her, only allowing it to be buried with her son's body some time later. SO, Sir Walter Raleigh's body is under the alter, his head is out in the yard with his son, and his wife didn't get invited to many social occasions for quite some time after her husband's death. Who knew?

Now THAT'S crazy! Only in England...

Forgot the Most Interesting Part…

I forgot to share one of the most unique things we saw in Scotland—one of the most interesting animals on the planet: highland cattle! They rank right up there with the three-wheeled car we saw a couple of months ago. I’m sure these wooly bovines are really aliens sent here to watch over the henges and other “mysteries” in the area…

You’ve gotta love our interesting world!

Scotland, Ireland, and Everything...

I'M IN LOVE! My whole life I'm going to look back on this trip and sigh with "remember when" moments... Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and Wales were all unbelievably beautiful (well, when the rain let up enough for you to SEE the beautiful). All I have to say is that I'm moving to Scotland!

NOTE: I can't get the pictures to stay without making this blog entry explode (probably some bad blogging karma or something...), check them out using our photo link on the side bar...over there, on the side bar...nope, not here, there, on the side bar, nod nod, wink wink, hint hint...

In our bitterly-cold-and-rainy-but-neither-really-mattered, whirlwind, eight-day tour, we drove about a million miles, ferried between the islands twice, and went to Edinburgh (Scotland), Inverness (Scotland), Glasgow (Scotland), the tip of Northern Ireland (the Bushmills area), Dublin (the Republic of Ireland), Cork (the Republic of Ireland), and Cardiff (Wales). Along the way we saw/visited the Preston temple, Hadrian's Wall and Birdoswald Roman Fort, Edinburgh Castle, Loch Ness (on a boat tour), the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, the Giant's Causeway, Dublin's Celtic Experience tour (which included the Hill of Tara, monasteries and high crosses, Monasterboice, and a prehistoric tomb), Blarney Castle, and Caerphilly Castle. WHEW!

And everything we saw was absolutely my favorite thing ever until I saw the next thing, so I've decided not to choose any favorite and just love it all...

SO, here's a quick breakdown of the adventure:

Day 1 (October 25): Driving & the Preston Temple (six hours total drive time)

Since we decided to stay in a city named Workington in the middle part of Scotland so that we could go to church Sunday morning, we had a six-hour drive to our B&B. We weren't ready to leave until 2:00 p.m., so it made for a rather long afternoon and evening. To make it even more fun, it started pouring rain a couple of hours after leaving London, and the rain pretty much never let up. Despite the torrent, the high point of the drive was stopping at the Preston temple. We were able to walk around the grounds and feel the spirit of this beautiful place and were VERY glad we stopped. We even learned a very important lesson about staying out of the grass when it's raining that hard in Scotland so as not to get completely covered in mud...

Day 2 (October 26): church, Hadrian's Wall & Birdoswald Roman Fort, and driving to Edinburgh (3 1/2 hours total drive time)

I don't know what it is about the daylight savings time change that messes us up so badly; I think the "fall back" part of it all makes us feel like we have WAY more time than we really do. By the time we left for church, we were almost half an hour behind schedule, and then we ran into significant construction on the way. By the time we arrived at the chapel we were so late that we considered not going in at all. When we went into the building, though, a very nice brother invited us into the meeting and told us it was absolutely no problem that we were late. They then moved people around to make us room, and the bishop even welcomed us to the meeting half way through. After getting over the embarrassment of being late, we enjoyed a wonderful meeting, getting to hear about staying committed to the Savior in our tumultuous world--AND the people had such fun accents! Everyone was very friendly afterward, and we enjoyed talking with people before getting back into the car.

Hadrian's Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Roman Empire around 100 A.D. across the width of what is now Northern England. It was built "to prevent military raids on Roman Britian by the "Pictish Tribes" (ancient inhabitants of Scotland) to the north, to improve economic stability, to provide peaceful conditions in Britian, and to mark the physical frontier of the Roman Empire." The fort was one of the key defense points along the wall, and the ruins have been surprisingly well preserved. Hadrian's Wall was only about an hour from the church building, and, wouldn't you know it, it was raining again when we got there. The rain did let up enough for us to walk among the fascination ruins and along the wall for about an hour before it started pouring again, and we thoroughly enjoyed reading about the history of the wall, the fort, and the surrounding area.

Day 3 (October 27): Edinburgh Castle, The Honours of Scotland, and driving to Inverness (3 hours total drive time)

We've seen many castles now, but Edinburgh is definitely one of the most impressive. It perches above Edinburgh on solid rock like a great protector of the city, the structure massive and intriguing and the grounds complete with a tiny chapel and dog cemetery. The castle dominates the landscape, with the only other thing in the area even coming close to it's grandeur the hill opposite it, called Aurthur's Seat. While there, we decided to take a very entertaining and informative guided tour, and we definitely enjoyed our visit--even trying haggis at the cafe (it wasn't bad, by the way, but I don't think I ever need to have it again because of the "icky factor").

The Honours of Scotland (Scotland's crown jewels) are on display at the castle and are the "oldest regalia in the British Isles." The stunning crown, sword, and scepter all date back to the 15th and 16th centuries. The interesting thing about the Honours is that they were locked away a chest in Edinburgh Castle after the Treaty of Union in 1707 and were literally forgotten; they weren't found again until 1818 when Sir Walter Scott ordered a detailed search of the castle. (I don't know, but I think that if I knew the whereabouts of millions of dollars worth of jewels and history, I'd remember where they were... Go figure!)

Day 4 (October 28): Loch Ness and driving to Glasgow (3 hours total drive time)

Because of the legend and history, exploring the mystery of Loch Ness, especially with kids, is an exciting, energizing, and almost magical experience. We decided to take a boat tour so that we would be out on the water for Nessie's visit, and Aubrey and Laurel both say they're sure they saw something... Our tour guide, who sounded EXACTLY like Sean Connory by the way, claims several sightings of the creatures over the years and (mostly) jokingly invited anyone who truly doesn't believe in the creatures to get off his boat. The boat, Nessie Hunter, was even equipped with radar, color sonar, gps, and underwater cameras/video equipment for finding the elusive creature. Though Kyle and I didn't see Nessie, we did thoroughly enjoy hearing about the lake (I had NO IDEA how deep it is) and experiencing the loch for ourselves. (I have to admit, I've wanted to go to Loch Ness since I was a little girl...)

The drive to Glasgow was actually quite fun, too, as we stopped on a whim in a little town so that I could take pictures of a quaint little bridge, only to realize we were next to actual locks. THAT was interesting. Also, we were able to get up close and personal with a stag later in the day when we (again) stopped so I could take a picture (of a mountain range covered with heather) and ended up a few feet from a stag who really didn't care an ounce that we were there.

Day 5 (October 29): driving to Cairyan, ferrying to Ireland, and driving to Bushmills (6 hours total travel time)

In our travel itinerary, for this day I wrote "stupid, boring travel day." I had no idea when I wrote that how accurate it would be! We thought we were doing fine and would make it to our ferry with time to spare, but about 10 miles from our port, the police had closed the road because of a wreck. To make things exciting, we were rerouted MILES out of the way with very little clue where we were going, ending up driving for ever on a single-lane, mostly-paved cattle track through people's fields with traffic going both ways and minuscule turn outs for passing. Let's just say that this was NOT the highlight of our trip. We did eventually make it to the port for the next ferry to Ireland and weren't even penalized for missing the first one. It was an excruciatingly long day, having hours added to our travel because of the road closure, but we did eventually arrive in Ireland in one piece, finding that our B&B for the night was delightful. Who knew that the light at the end of the tunnel is actually a charming bed and breakfast!

Day 6 (October 30): Derik's Birthday, the Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, and driving to Dublin (3 hours total drive time)

No matter what man creates, the most stunning works of art on the planet are still found only in nature. For Derik's birthday, we visited the Giant's Causeway, often described as "the eighth natural wonder of the world." The Causeway is 40,000 interlocking basalt stone columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea, and most of the columns are hexagonal. Climbing all over this cooler-than-cool structure is quite an experience, delighting old and young alike IF you can brave the cold breeze off the Atlantic! We loved it, and Derik pronounced it an "awesome birthday experience."

The Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, on the other hand, is underwhelming at best. I think people flock to it in droves because they're already at the Causeway, and the bridge is only five miles away. So, it is exactly what it sounds like, a rope bridge from the mainland across to a tiny island where fishermen have been going for hundreds of years for the salmon and reportedly great birdwatching, neither one of which happens at the end of October. The bridge itself is marginally interesting, spanning a chasm 80 feet deep and 60 feet wide , but the little island is the "ok, we crossed the bridge and there's nothing to see except that ruined shack, now can we go back" variety. The most exciting part of the rope bridge experience was when the kids starting jumping on it, but, surprisingly, the guard stopped them; what a strangely excitable old guy (big grin)!
Happy Birthday, my wonderful TEENAGE (gulp) son! I love you tons!!!

Day 7 (October 31): "Celtic Experience" day tour out of Dublin (The Hill of Tara, monasteries and high crosses, Monasterboice, and a prehistoric tomb) and driving to Cork (3 hours total drive time)

The unfortunate-mysteriously-missing-credit-card-incident aside (which ended up being my fault, by the way), this was also a great day. The ancient Celtic sights were fascinating, and our leprechaun-sounding tour guide, who spoke gaelic, was delightful. We enjoyed actually going into Fourknocks barrow (a 5000-year-old tomb site that looks like a circular grassy hill with a door in the side--kind of like a hobbit hole). We've seen them all over the U.K. and have wanted to see the inside of one since Stonehenge in January. It's amazing to me how much beauty the people in those days created with such rudimentary tools; the stonework in the tomb was impressive, and the experience was just plain cool.
We then went to see two of the oldest surviving celtic crosses in the U.K. and a couple of interesting old monestaries (well, what was left of them anyway).
The day ended at the Hill of Tara, where kings were crowned thousands of years ago (which consisted of large hilly rings which might be impressive from above but just look like moguls from the ground and an erect stone right in the middle). Like the other sights, hearing the history and just being there is the magical part, even if what you're looking at (like the grassy rings) isn't much.

All said, we enjoyed this day immensely, and it was nice having someone else drive us around for a change!

Day 8 (November 1): Blarney Castle and driving to Rosslare (3 hours total drive time)

The guide book I swear by, Rick Steve's Europe series, actually called Blarney castle an "underwhelming hulk," but we found it rather wonderful. (Sorry, Rick!)
We sincerely enjoyed exploring the old castle and then leaving our germs on the Blarney Stone with those of millions of our closest tourist friends. Hanging somewhat upside down and backward by your feet while some old guy holds your ankles so that you can kiss it is quite an experience, BUT there was no way I was leaving Ireland without doing it (also something I've wanted to do since I was a kid)! The best part of the castle experience was exploring the grounds--what an incredibly beautiful place! We enjoyed the stunning fall colors, rock garden, waterfall, climbing trees, and even the witch's wishing stairs (where if you can walk down and back up with your eyes closed, thinking only of your wish and nothing else, your wish will be granted by the castle witch). We even traded some British money for some great coins from all over at her offering stone, apparently you have to pay to have your wish granted... All in all, I have to say this was one of my favorite visits of the entire trip.
So, here we are hanging upside down(ish) to kiss the Blarney Stone:

Boy, this place was beautiful! What a great day!!!

Day 9 (November 2): ferrying from Rosslare to Fishguard, stopping to see Caerphilly Castle, and driving back to London (5 1/2 hours total drive time)

Caerphilly Castle was not on our original itinerary, but ferrying and driving for hours without anything interesting to break it up is not very wise when traveling with children, so we got out the guidebook and found something to see on the way home. I'm glad we did, too. The castle, though significantly more of a ruin than some of the others we've seen (including Blarney), was still fun to explore. Our favorite parts were the trebuche and leaning tower. Even if it had been completely not worth seeing, the stop was nice and the children enjoyed stretching their legs before the last few hours' drive home. Besides, you can't drive through a country and not stop anywhere! It was Wales, after all!

Whew! Tired yet? I'm getting tired again just THINKING about all of the driving we did, but IT SURE WAS WORTH IT! Sign me up again, please! And this time you guys can all come. I think we're going to need a bigger vehicle, though...

Thanks for coming with us, Dustin!!! We love you and were glad to have you with us.

(Day 10 (November 3): Back in London (thankfully, no trip-related driving time)

Do you know how much dirty laundry a group our size generates in eight days and how long it takes to wash it all with toy appliances? I'll get back to you when I'm finally done!!!)

Today's Lesson...Things You Never Knew You Never Knew

Hi, all!

After a confusing conversation with a lady at church about buying girl's clothing (with both of us using the same words but with completely different meanings), I found out that I don't know the "English" words for the clothes my daughters wear, just the "American English" ones. SO, just so that you don't make the same mistake, if you're coming to England you need to know the following:

1) in the queen's English what we call a sweater is a "jumper,"
2) what we call a jumper is a "tunic," and
3) what we call a tunic is simply a "long top."

If you add this to the previously mentioned lesson about our pants being called "trousers" here and our underwear actually being called "pants" because underwear is "knickers," you are now thoroughly confused but well prepared for your first shopping venture in the United Kingdom.

Oh, yes, and remember to add two sizes to your American size if you'd like any of it to fit (because I really want to feel bigger when I go shopping)!

Cheers, mate!

Now THAT was Interesting...

After packing last week for our trip to Prague, the kids came to me and wanted to know what Prague is. Apparently Jess was the designated spokesperson: “Um, Mom, we don’t know anything about this "Prague" place—where exactly are we going and what are we going to be doing?” When I explained to them where we were going and how cool it was going to be, they all looked vaguely more excited. Again being the spokesperson, Jess then said, “Ok, well if you’re excited, then we’re excited.” I wonder what went on in the sibling meeting they all had before coming and talking to me--you go ask her, no you go ask her... How funny!

The first thing we learned on this trip is that flying with five children out of an airport that is more than an hour's drive from your house for an international trip at just past 6:00 in the morning is NOT an optimal situation.

The next thing we learned is that Prague is amazing. Up until 1989 it was a communist country, and they put all of that government money into one heck of an intriguing city. They call it the "City of 100 Spires," and it lives up to its name, with middle-eastern style spires dotting the skyline and something unique to see around every corner.

While we were there, we stayed in a palatial hotel right next to the castle and walked, trammed, and tubed all over the city. We visited Charles Bridge (climbing one of the towers to see Prague from above), the castle complex (complete with an underwhelming palace and beautiful cathedral), the Jewish Quarter (the only one in Europe to have survived WWII), the Old Town Square and Astronomic Clock (complete with mechanical Christ and the twelve apostles parading by every hour), Krizik's Fountain (where we saw a Bellagio-Hotel-style "performance" set to classical music), and Petrin Hill (with its mirror maze and smaller version of the Eiffel Tower).

We learned that having the funicular closed for servicing makes for a LONG walk to the top of Petrin Hill and that the mirror maze isn't worth the entrance fee, that children enjoy tromping through the woods more than touristy attractions like the mirror maze, that it is very hard to think in Czech crowns (32 crowns is around one British pound or two American dollars), and that we truly enjoy spending time together as a family. After visiting too many of them, we also learned that souvenir shops are best to be avoided. In addition, we learned to be VERY careful when choosing a place to eat and make sure that you know everything you're going to be charged for up front; Prague has restaurants galore with varied food prices and quality (though we very much enjoyed the food for the most part), but you're likely to end up with hefty mystery charges for things you had no clue were going to cost extra (like the bread they bring you in a nice little basket when you sit down). We also learned, again, that talking to the locals is one of the best parts of any trip, very much enjoying our colorful cab driver whose grandfather was killed at Auschwitz.

My favorite part of the trip, though, was going to church on Sunday. When we got there, we found that they were watching a rebroadcast of general conference. Our options were English, Czech, and Russian. The children found the message on the board in the “English” room particularly amusing: “If you can read this, you’re in the right place.” (I’m sure there’s a very good sacrament meeting talk in that somewhere.) Having just watched all of conference last week, however, and being disappointed that we weren’t going to get to experience "real" church in Czech, we decided to sit in the Czech broadcast room. It was an interesting experience, and we learned more very important things: 1) Czech is not at all like English, 2) even when you know what they’re talking about you still don’t understand any of what is going on, 3) children who do not understand what is going on don’t stay interested very long, and 4) having five children fall asleep within the first ten minutes is a really good indication that that particular cultural experience is over. We all enjoyed talking to the people in the ward and looking at church materials in another language (hymns, magazine, Books of Mormon, etc,). Did you know that there are only 2000 Latter-Day Saints in the Czech Republic? What a cool experience!

So, on the coolometer, this trip gets a solid 10. Except for maybe Norway, Prague is my favorite place we've been so far. It was so beautiful that I could have spent the four days just wandering around and looking at the architecture and would have been completely content. All I can say is COOL! Let's go again...

That Was A Great Game...

Well, nothing is as constant as change...

We knew our time in Oz wouldn't last forever, so we weren't too surprised Tuesday afternoon when we were informed that our sparkly shoes are taking us home in a few weeks. I can't believe we've been here almost a year! Kyle goes back November 20th, and the kids and I go back December 20th (so that they can stay in school until Christmas break). It's strange/exciting/scary thinking about going home and all of the things that come with it--buying a new home, buying a new vehicle, getting the kids into school... I can't say I'm particularly excited about leaving, mostly because the kids love their school so much and don't want to go, but there will be good things about it, too.

So, I'm putting on my Polyanna hat and looking for the positives. Not being so "in between things" will be nice. Having a full-sized washer and dryer will be more nice. And being able to actually call people and talk without having to sell a child will be even nicer than that! AND, actually seeing family and friends again will be nicest of all. I've missed you guys.

BUT, since I'm simply not done sightseeing, we're going on two more trips before we hop back over the big pond. The kids have an extended weekend, and in a few hours we're going to Prague. Then at the end of the month they have "half term break," and we're going to Scotland and Ireland. I suppose it will be alright to leave then...

Seriously, though, I'm grateful and humbled to have had this experience. I hope we did whatever it was God sent us here to do. We sure have had some incredible experiences, and I hope we're better people for it.

Days like this are what I'm going to miss most:

Use It Or Lose It...

I've always found the fact that the Brits drop the letter "h" at the beginning of words very interesting, but today I found out that some of them may not know that the letter should even be there. How do I know, you ask? Well, this is the graffiti I saw this morning...

(wait for it...)

(wait for it...)

(wait for it...)

Jo was ere!

(Just for the record, Diane was ere, too.)

Tee hee!!!

Still Not in Kansas...

I looked outside this morning and realized two things: 1) the sun was shining, and 2) the back yard had somehow become a jungle--too many days of wet, unmowable grass. So even though Derik almost always mows, it looked like it was going to rain and make it unmowable AGAIN so I decided to do it myself while it was still relatively dry. During the experience, I had one of those "wait a minute, this craziness has become almost common place" moments. It went like this...

...During a rare spot of sunshine and whilst munching a savory biscuit (saltine), I realized that the rear garden (back lawn) looked a bit dodgy (in this case, overgrown). So I headed out the patio (into the back yard) to the garden shed (garden shed, big grin) to get the push mower (lawn mower) and rotary extension lead (extension cord on a reel)...

That was the point at which my mind screamed "hey, you're not British, and that toy lawn mower you just got out of the shed will never cut this grass--just go back inside, put in a load of laundry, and let Derik do it when he gets home from school!"

Just kidding! The moment did cause me to stop and reflect on how strange and wonderful it still is to be here, though, toy mower and all. I'm extremely grateful, and I hope we get to stay a bit longer than a year; it would be nice for the kids to complete this entire school year before we yank them back across the big pond.

So just to share my British moment with you, here is a picture of our PLASTIC mower (yes, plastic, and it's not even stiff plastic--it even bends when you're pushing it through the grass). The pad next to it is just for size reference; it's one of those 1" thick kneeling pads for pulling weeds, and it's about 4" by 15", fitting just under your knees with not much to spare. I would have used my shoe, but it was on my foot and covered with wet grass. (The main part of the mower is one shoe and 3/4 long, by the way.)


Tee Hee...

I also learned that while cobble stone is beautiful to look at, it is NOT beautiful to pull weeds from...

And, oh yes, after an extremely soggy outdoor training session for the upcoming high school outdoor activity (during which my feet got soaked and I slipped in the mud about a hundred times), I finally broke down and ordered some wellies. Some things you just can't avoid, and I was pleased to be able to find them in a non-obnoxious color. Maybe I can wear them next time I garden!

Bon Bons and Soap Operas...

There is one phrase in the English language that should never be uttered--EVER! The phrase goes like this: "All of your kids are in school...so what do you do with all your spare time?"

This evil phrase started creeping into my life when Eryn began kindergarten and has reared its ugly head ever since, insidiously coming out of left field when I least expect it so that the only thing I can think to say is something stellar like "well, you know, stuff."

It happened again today, and I've decided that the correct answer to the question is "WHAT spare time?!!?" Take the last two days, for example... So far "this week," I have attended another parent orientation meeting at the school (this one for fifth grade--the other ones were last week), taken kids to eye appointments, carpooled to scout meeting, attended a several-hour training course so that I can volunteer at the upcoming high school "outdoor experience," coordinated getting children to/from seminary/play practice/soccer practice/cross country, shopped for sporting equipment the kids need for the teams they just made, taxi driven to youth activities, grocery shopped, returned library books, cleaned house, updated our financial files, made several meals, did ten loads of laundry, and coordinated/supervised homework, piano, chores, and gospel study--AND IT'S ONLY TUESDAY!

So the "spare time" that I'm supposed to be enjoying with bon bons and much soap opera watching has proven elusive at best; and that really is alright (since I don't much care for soap operas, and bon bons are seriously overrated). BUT, I've come to a conclusion: the next time someone asks me "the question," I've decided to just smile and hand them my planner and car keys... Oh yah!

Back to School...

The kids went back to school today. I'm not sure whether I'm overjoyed or deeply sad--both, I guess.

Eryn's in second grade.


Laurel's in fifth grade.


Aubrey's in sixth grade. (Gotta love the Super Girl shirt!)


Derik's in seventh grade.


And Jessie's in (gulp) ninth grade--HIGH SCHOOL!!! (But I'm still in serious denial about it.)


It's so strange to put five of your most precious gifts in life on a bus and send them off into London--might make a person freak out a little if she thought about it too hard. Ok, happy thoughts, happy thoughts...comfortably back to denial...

Roman Baths, Medieval Abbies, and Stone Circles

Some experiences are specifically for kids, and some are really for grown ups but with just enough kid-friendliness thrown in to fool the children into thinking they're having fun, too. Our trip to Bath over the weekend was the second kind. What an incredible city!!!

Even though it's a huge tourist trap, we decided to go to Bath because everyone we've talked to told us how cool it was and that it was one of the most beautiful places in the United Kingdom. They were right.

We stayed at a fantastic B & B out in the country with the friendliest couple on the planet, who not only provided both the bed and the breakfast but took our kids next door to feed the chickens left-over toast from breakfast and invited us to their glass shop to attend a glass-making demonstration. And though it rained relentlessly the entire time we were on our sightseeing extravaganza, there was much to see and we ran around the city like little kids (even those of us who no longer fit into that category).


Our main event for our time in Bath was visiting, drum roll please, the Roman Baths--a massive and fascinating multi-level structure from centuries past that has been surprisingly well preserved below street level, sprawling under several buildings.














People used to go to Bath from all over "Brittania" to visit the hot-spring fed baths because they believed that the water had mystical healing properties; it was even rumored that one barren queen conceived an heir to the throne because she bathed in Bath's water. Since the spas which actually use the water don't allow children, we went to the baths to experience the coolness with hundreds of our closest friends and wander cattle-like through the stunning ruins. We even chatted with some Roman citizens and were instructed in the most recent advancements and finer points of makeup preparation and application by a nice slave girl. At the end of our tour we tried a glass of the mystical water. Surprisingly, it tasted just like water! I have to say, though, just for the record, that it was completely cool to see the baths, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

In addition the baths, we visited Bath Abbey, took the B & B owners up on their offer to watch a glass blowing demonstration (pic above),
went to church, and wandered the city looking for pigs. Yep, you read that right, pigs.

Apparently the curative nature of the hot springs was discovered by a local pig who happened into the water; the rest, as they say, is history. So to honor said pig, business owners and individuals from Bath have purchased, decorated, and donated over 100 big metal pigs to be auctioned off to charity at the end of October, but for now they're all over the city and make for one fun treasure hunt that is a hit with kids and adults alike. They're on top of buildings, on city streets, in storefronts, in shopping malls, in art galleries, in the train station, and even up in trees.



The fun part about the pigs is that looking for them engages the kids for hours and allows the grown ups to enjoy the stunning architecture and history during the hunt. Despite the rain, we had a great time, enjoying our time in Bath immensely AND finding almost all 104 of the pigs.

On the way home we stopped at two really interesting spots, Lacock Abbey and Avebury.



Lacock Abbey is a medieval abbey out in the middle of nowhere U.K. where some of the first Harry Potter movie was filmed--the first flying lesson (in the courtyard), some breezeway scenes, and some of the classroom scenes. It's also just a dang cool, breathtakingly beautiful old building! I enjoyed it immensely!

Avebury is a village ringed by huge concentric stone circles, like Stonehenge only WAY bigger; the circles are a mile in circumference and completely open to the public, so (unlike Stonehenge) you get to get up close and personal with Avebury's circles, climbing on the rocks, walking whatever portion of the circle you'd like, enjoying the mysteriousness of it all, and stepping in much sheep poop. You can even watch fellow tourist praying on each of the rocks with their tour guide if you like. (They don't like it if you try to take their picture on the sly, though...um, I mean, I have a feeling that they wouldn't like it if someone tried to take their picture on the sly...)


All things considered, this was one fantastic sightseeing trip!

Have I convinced anyone else to come visit us yet?!!? Big grin!

AWKWARD...

There is a charming city about two hours west of London named Bath (after the Roman baths the city is famous for) which is a huge tourist destination. I told a guy at church that we were going there for Kyle's birthday weekend, and he very Britishly (yep, made that up) corrected my pronunciation; I had pronounced the "a" like "hat," and apparently it's pronounced like "father." The problem is that a lot of Brits use an "f" sound for the "th" (as in Bethlehem, which is pronounced Befleehem). So when he corrected my pronunciation of "Bath," I repeated back what he had said exactly, with BOTH a long "a" sound and an "f" sound at the end instead of a "th" (because that's what he said when he corrected me). So, the stupid American says, "Oh, Baaf." Imagine both the silence and THE LOOK that followed.

You want to know how you correct a dumb American who pronounced the "th" you said as an "f" because that's what you were thinking even though you said "f"? "No, not BaaF, BAAf!" Oh! That clears it all up... Oops!

ON A HAPPIER NOTE...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WONDERFUL KYLE!!! You are my best friend. I enjoy every day we spend together, and I'm eternally grateful for you and your laughter, love, example, strength, and dedication. Thank you for sharing your life with me! I LOVE YOU, HH!

Curiouser and curiouser...

Ok, I have to share this one--we saw a three-wheeled car on Sunday as we were driving back from church.


And, yes, seeing one of these driving down the street is so odd that you really do point and gawk and say something Oscar-worthy like "hey, look, a three-wheeled car!" Who knew?!!?

On the other side of cool, we went to Greenwich over the weekend and stood on the prime meridian!


I know, I know, it's just an arbitrary line that people use to try to make sense of the world, but there really is something minorly monumental about being somewhere like this (kind of like skiing the Continental Divide...). It's just plain fun!

Our other silly sharable is that last weekend we went to St. James Palace to take our London-requisite photos with the stoic palace guards. What we didn't know is that every 15 minutes or so, the guards shout really loudly, turn and parade down the sidewalk and back, and then reposition themselves for another bout of putting up with the tourists. If you happen to be standing right next to them when they do this, it can be quite exciting, especially if you don't know it's going to happen. (And, yes, after laughing our heads off, of course we stayed for a second round; the guy standing next to one of the guards the next time actually screamed like a little girl, and then the whole crowd laughed with him.)



I guess the wonder of being here really hasn't worn off yet!

Besides, where else in the world can you help yourself to a free child before getting on the subway...


Or grab an extra bank (and more) if you happen to need a spare...


Or sorta visit Batman...


Or be warned by a friendly stick man that drowning may not be a very good idea...


Good times, good times...

Bigger...

Well, it's official--Derik is now taller than Jessica. When we realized it, Derik's response was "cool" and Jessie's was "oh, man!"


Since Jess is a towering 5' 2" at the moment if she stands up REALLY TALL, they're both hoping to grow more before they're done. (I think Derik might have a better chance of that, all things considered.) I keep telling Jess that she has some absolutely gorgeous aunts that are about her same height, so she's in very good non-Amazonian company!

We also found out (while Jess and Derik were away at church youth camp) last weekend just how many children are able to play on a trampoline at once with only minor resulting injuries...



ALL OF THEM!

Ah, Norway...

June 29, 2008, Norwegian Cruise Day 1 (The Cruise Begins)

It is SO fun to surprise our children; and this was a real surprise, too, since they didn't know where we were going on vacation. We left around 11:00 and drove to Southampton, the port city where we boarded our ship. It's is only about an hour and a half drive, which was just long enough for the “are we there yet” and “when do we get to eat” questions to begin. Except for Jess, who really didn't want to know where we were going before we got there, the children all started trying to guess (for the umpteenth time) our destination. They even came to several wrong but amusing conclusions (Ireland, France, the Bahamas, etc.) before we arrived at the docks.

When we arrived and started figuring out where to park, it finally hit them what the surprise was, and they all just sat in stunned silence with big, disbelieving grins on their faces. It was priceless. (The “we're really going on a cruise” exclamations came a little later.) They even guessed from the name of the cruise ship (the Norwegian Jade) where we were going—yep, future rocket scientists. The rest of the day was spent getting registered, making it onto the ship, having a safety orientation, eating, swimming, getting the kids registered for the kid's club, etc., etc., etc. By bedtime, the children were all wonderfully exhausted and completely thrilled. And they must have thanked us for the wonderful surprise about 100 times, each.

What was my favorite part of the day? Derik ended up being the model during the safety orientation, confidently showing everyone in the auditorium how to wear their stylish life vests and hopefully not die in case of an emergency. I even overheard an attractive young lady that was part of the crew telling him what a handsome young man he is and how much she loved his beautiful eyes and long eyelashes; I didn't know a twelve-year-old's face could get that red!

June 30, 2008, Norwegian Cruise Day 2 (Cruising the North Sea)

Our second day on the ship we were at sea all day. Jess decided that the kids' club really wasn't for her since none of her siblings were in her age group, so she spent the day with the foges. (We went to a bridge class, a jewelry presentation, and a comedy show, some of which she actually showed interest in, bless her heart; we all loved the comedy show, and we were still talking about how funny it was hours after it was over.) The highlight of Derik's day was swimming--the pool had a two-story looping water slide--but he also had a great time at the kids' club. For Aubrey, Laurel, and Eryn, their time in the kids' club was “so completely fun,” but their favorite part of the day was eating ice cream in the hot tub. Like Derik, they spent most of the day in the kids' club and were actually quite unhappy with us when we came to take them to dinner. The funniest thing that happened is that after so much playing, Eryn fell so completely asleep during dinner that we couldn't even wake her up when her food came. I guess she needed the rest more than the food! We also learned that sunburns do happen in Norway, and, sporting various levels of sunburn, the children decided that swimming without sunscreen may not have been the best course of action...

My favorite part of the day? They children still talked all day about how thrilled they were to be on the cruise. At one point Jess was walking on deck and pointed at the water, grinned, and said, “Look, ocean!!!” I know—cool, huh?!!?

July 1, 2008--Norwegian Cruise Day 3 (Alesund)

Our third day we stopped in a port city named Alesund, one of the largest port cities in Norway. We didn't spend time in town, though; instead we took a seven-hour coach tour through the countryside, the main sights being the “Troll's Wall” (a towering, sheer rock cliff that looks as if it has been carved out of flint) and the “Troll's Path” (a scarily-winding road that leads precariously up the face of a mountain, complete with waterfalls and overlooking a stunning valley that looks like something out of a fairy tale). The kids all dozed a bit in the bus on the way up to the wall and path, but when they were awake there were “oohs” and “ahs” all around. They were awestruck by the impressive waterfalls next to the Troll Path, commenting on how huge the falls are and how small the road looks next to them. They also all agreed that driving up the road was pretty scary but it helped not to look down too far. It truly was an interesting drive, a breathtaking view, and one great day!

My favorite parts of the day? 1) The kids were more interested in the snow on the ground close to the falls than they were the falls. 2) Our tour guide asked Laurel to read "The Three Billy Goat's Gruff" to the tour bus of mostly octogenarians; of course she was thrilled and eagerly accepted. She played the crowd so well that she got a hearty round of applause when the story was over. 3) People have built small towers of rocks all over that are supposed to be trolls that were caught in the sunlight and turned to stone--it gives the country an unreal feel and is VERY interesting.

July 2, 2008—Norwegian Cruise Day 4 (Kristiansund)

Our fourth day was in a port city named Kristiansund. It is significantly smaller than Alesund, but we had a very nice day there as well. We took a much shorter tour, this time of the city itself and a “klip fish” (dried, salted cod--the town's main export) museum. The whole tour was only 3 ½ hours, so we had time after the tour to have lunch on the ship and then return to town to wander around. This town was also extremely beautiful, but it was a different kind of beauty than the countryside we saw the day before. My strongest impression of Norway at this point was that it is beautifully green, extremely clean, well maintained, and breathtakingly beautiful (including the people).

My favorite part of the day? Eryn. She wanted to buy everything she saw all day, but then she would turn each item over and look at the price and say, “No way, that's too much,” sadly placing whatever it was back on the shelf and walking dejectedly away. (The exchange rate right now is about 10 kroner to a pound, and a pound is around two dollars. So she would see 50 on something, for instance, and think dollars when it really meant the item cost around $10. She wouldn't even pick out a Christmas ornament when I asked her to choose one! Funny, funny little girl. (Maybe I should have listened to her, though, because we bought the ornaments and then lost the bag...)

July 3, 2008--Norwegian Cruise Day 5 (Crossing the Arctic Circle & Svartisen Glacier)


Our fifth day was glacier day—yeah! We started the day at the Svartisen glacier and then the rest of the day was time spent relaxing as we sailed though “the inside passage.” Seeing the glacier was a fun experience. We got the kids out of bed at seven and dragged them up to breakfast expecting the ship to arrive at the glacier around 9:00, but we were surprised that we had already arrived. The kids were all very happy that they didn't miss it and enjoyed eating breakfast outside on the deck while taking in the scenery. We then went to the observation deck to take a closer look at the glacier and take pictures. They all deemed it “REALLY COOL!” Jess even decided that it would be particularly nice to live on the face of the mountain just across the fjord from the glacier (it has an unobstructed view of the grandeur). After about a half an hour on the observation deck, though, they all came to us and said, “Um, we're done looking at the glacier—can we go now?” I guess there is only so much looking at a big stationary piece of ice you can do when you're a kid... The other fun thing that happened today was that at high noon we all gathered at the pool to celebrate entering the Arctic Circle by being inducted into “The Order of the Bluenose” by King Neptunus Rex, Ruler of the Ocean Kingdom (otherwise known as “the guy in the fish suit), by having our noses painted blue and then being sprinkled with ice water!

My favorite part of the day? Being inducted into the Order of the Bluenose definitely wins. How often do you get inducted into something by a guy with a trident and a giant fish?

July 4, 2008--Norwegian Cruise Day 6 (Honningsvaag)

Day six we stopped in a little town named Honningsvaag (the kids spent the whole day referring to it as “Hoggin Boggin” because they couldn't remember the real name). The morning was a wash because we had all stayed up 'til the wee hours of the morning the night before to see the “midnight sun.” Very cool! The only down side was that there was heavy cloud cover, so instead of being able to see the sky lit up in the middle of the night, we saw a bright section of mountain/sky between the water and the dark clouds--a very surreal experience, actually. At one point I went out on deck with Kyle, Jess, and Derik to the giant chess board because Jess and Derik had decided to to play chess while we waited for the sun to not set. The wind was way too strong to actually play a game with the giant pieces but chasing after them as the wind blew them down the deck became a game in and of itself (kind of like herding cats or small children). It was hilarious! By about two in the morning, when the sun had officially not set and it was starting to get even brighter again, we headed off to bed. So we headed into Hoggin Boggin, er, Honningsvag, around noon after letting the kids sleep in and then having a leisurely brunch. The children were very excited to take a lifeboat from the ship over to the town. (Frankly, I'm glad we saw the inside of one this way instead of during some disaster, um, “emergency.”) We spent our time in town wandering through gift shops, walking the quaint streets, experiencing the brisk arctic air, and just enjoying wandering. We even went out on a little arm of land that stuck out into the water (because it looked like it would be a good picture spot), but when we got there it was really barren and smelled strongly of dead fish. The kids couldn't retreat fast enough. We also tried some freeze-dried fish (“the arctic treat”--um hmm, only if you're a seal) that was a lot like eating smelly cardboard, and everyone decided that we have now had it one too many times in life. I suppose if you were REALLY hungry and were going to starve to death... We had to be back on the ship at 2:30, so it was a short trip but definitely an enjoyable one. The rest of the evening Kyle and I spent at a murder mystery dinner and the kids all (except Jess who doesn't seem interested) went to the kid zone and then complained when we made them leave at closing time. We all then went really late to the buffet for ice cream and hot chocolate and sat around talking about our day, how much fun we're all having, and how wonderfully sick we're all getting from consuming too much ice cream and hot chocolate...big grin.

My favorite parts of the day? Arctic chess and the murder mystery dinner. Watching Jess and Derik run after their chess pieces in the arctic wind was one of the highlights of my trip, and I've never been to a mystery dinner before. Both experiences were a blast.


July 5, 2008--Norwegian Cruise Day 7 (Cruising the Barents Sea)

On day seven we cruised the Barents Sea, so we were on board all day. everyone slept in again (too many late nights in a row), and then we went for a late breakfast. After tearing the kids away from the kid zone around noon, we headed to the “whatever rooms” and ended up having a family karaoke-a-thon. At the beginning the three youngest girls were very excited, but Jess and Derik looked like they had been handed a death sentence, sulking and looking very put upon. When we actually started picking songs, though, and then singing at the top of our lungs, everyone had a great time, each child picking the music they wanted and then leading the family in a loud and usually-on-key rendition of their favorite tunes. They had so much fun that they were unhappy when we left after an hour and a half. Then after dinner we went to a juggling and acrobatics show; the act was quite unique with ladder balancing combined with juggling and twirling of large prismatic shapes (when they were twirled it looked almost like a light show). Even later I ended up being a “contestant” in the comedy club's “Name That Tune” game show. The game worked just like the original TV show and real songs were used, but the actors sang them in very funny ways to make it a fun experience. Kyle and the kids sat and clapped madly for me while I “competed,” and then Laurel and Eryn ran up on stage when it was over loudly proclaiming, “Mommy, you won,” like I had actually been on the real game show. (I have to admit, it was pretty fun, though, and I even won an art print by some famous artist I've never heard of before.)

What was my favorite part of this day? I very much enjoyed just being together and playing. During dinner we turned Jessica's plate into a grinning face while she was in the restroom (tortellini into a mouth, clam and lobster shells for eyes/hair/nose, brussel sprout ears, etc.). She had a great sense of humor about it, laughing right out loud when she returned to the table (but then not wasting any time asking us to please remove the “icky water bugs” from her plate). I love my wonderful family!

July 6, 2008--Norwegian Cruise Day 8 (Trondheim)

Because it was Sunday but we didn't have the option of going to church (weren't going to be in port at the right time), we went to see a cathedral in today's port, Trondheim. The Cathedral is called Nidaros Cathedral, and it's kind of the Norwegian equivalent of Notre Dame in Paris, only smaller. The kids all enjoyed seeing the church; but we have dragged them to cathedrals all over Europe, so they basically had the "yep, it's pretty, now can we go wander through the cool graveyard” attitude. No big surprise there. We also took an old narrow-track railway (which you all deemed “BORing”) up to a copper mine, which was surprisingly beautiful, with stunning colors (see pic) in every hue from white to turquoise. While we were there, a violinist came and played in the main cavern. The music was amazing! It was such an intriguing juxtaposition to listen to a master violinist playing spectacular classical music in a man-made cave far below the earth's surface. The experience was obviously designed to impress tourists, but I was struck by the fact that God's wonders are all around us, even in an old copper-mine. The kids decided that the violinist was definitely NOT BORing, and the beauty of the copper mine “rocked" (tee hee). What a great day.

My favorite part of Trondheim? The copper mine takes the cake. Who knew that an old mine could be so stunningly beautiful?

Monday, July 7, 2008--Norwegian Cruise Day 9 (Hellesylt & Geiranger)

On day nine we stopped in two ports—Hellesylt in the morning and Geiranger in the afternoon. The day started in a most unpleasant way with everyone on board who didn't have an official shore excursion (which included us) smashed in a hallway waiting to be let off the ship. The hour-long wait in a cramped hall with tons of people pushing, shoving, and getting increasingly cranky while they waited was less than pleasant, to say the least. Sigh. When we finally got on shore, though, everyone decided it was worth it. Hellesylt has a waterfall right in the middle of town. I don't know if the children were happier to be out of the unpleasant situation back on board or to be looking at the waterfall, but they really enjoyed it. That was really all there was to see in town, though, so after an hour or so we returned to the ship to eat lunch while the boat repositioned on the other end of the fjord in Geiranger. Geiranger also has a waterfall that runs right through the middle of town, but both the town and the waterfall are significantly bigger. We spent the bulk of the afternoon hiking the little city in perfect weather and truly having a fantastic afternoon. This was the kind of day I hoped for when I booked this cruise for us, and everyone was VERY happy, skipping along as we hiked, chatting excitedly about things they saw on our walk, and even finding a small park to play in for a while (wherever we go, the children always seem to find a park...). Also, because the ship issued vouchers to get everyone ashore in an orderly manner this time, we didn't even have to fight a crowd to get into town—a refreshing change from the morning's fiasco! The children even commented on that fact, too, being happy just to be able to board our shuttle to shore when it was our turn; it's all about perspective, isn't it?!!? All in all, the disembarking unpleasantness aside, this was pretty much the perfect day—perfect weather, amazing sights, and perfectly wonderful people to share it with. What a blessing!

I don't have a favorite part of this day because most of it was so wonderful.

July 8, 2008--Norwegian Cruise Day 10 (Bergen)


Without going into too much detail about terrible behavior, let me preface today's log by telling you that the behavior of our children on day 10 was less than stellar. We were in Bergen—one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen—and they were being so rude and unpleasant to each other that it was hard to enjoy it. And that's putting it nicely. We went on a tour of Troldhaugen, the home of Edward Grieg (the composer), and they spent most of the tour snapping at each other, correcting each other, and being annoyingly unkind. (Though the house itself isn't much to look at, the property overlooks a breathtaking lake, has a separate concert hall, a composer's hut, woods that would make the most unimaginative mind come alive, and stunning views of the city.) We then went to see Fantoft Stave Church. (Stave churches were built from the wood from Viking ships, and this one was originally built in 1150 and rebuilt in 1992 after a fire. It even has dragons carved into the roofline by the suspicious natives so that their bases were covered in case Christianity didn't work out.) The church was cool, and the arguing subsided a little while we were there, but when we were given the opportunity to stay in town and explore on our own or return to the ship, the vote was unanimous for returning to the ship. On board the children did some much-needed resting before some play time on the Wii, a late dinner, and a decadent indulgence at the chocolate buffet. The resting really did significantly improve everyone’s' moods, and the rest of the day was really quite enjoyable. Thank goodness! It reminds me of the little girl, with the little curl...

My favorite part? After the rest of the family returned to the ship for some MUCH-NEEDED rest, I went back into Bergen by myself. I ended up chatting with some missionaries for a while and then exploring the city, taking pictures galore and having a great time. I don't know at what point I became such a loner, but I really enjoy being by myself every once in a while, especially when I have my camera to play with...

July 9, 2008--Norwegian Cruise Day 11 (Stavenger)

Day eleven was the ultimate sightseeing day. We went on a side cruise down the Lysefjord and then explored Trondheim. It's difficult to describe how amazing these fjords are with their towering cliffs, lush vegetation, and glass-surface water. It truly is something you have to experience. This day brought us weather that was beautiful, children who were all rested and charming, and sights that were amazing. We even tried water straight from the falls (hmmm, tastes a lot like water). When we got back to the ship, everyone swam, went to dinner, and then did their own thing (which for the kids was the kid's club and for Kyle, me, and Jess was the comedy club.

My favorite part of the day? Derik decided that the mountain goats we saw while on the boat tour were actually cardboard cutouts the Norwegians put up for the tourists. I'm still not sure if he was serious or not...

July 10, 2008--Norwegian Cruise Day 12 (Cruising the North Sea)
Day twelve was our last full day on the cruise, and it was a sea day again (headed back across to Southampton). The kids enjoyed the sea days as much as port days, and this was no exception. This day brought sleeping in, time at the kid zone watching movies and playing games, a family pizza making party, and tons of ice cream and then ended with the ship's kid pajama party. We all spent the day enjoying it like crazy but being sad that it was almost over, talking about how much fun it had been and what amazing things we'd seen and done.

July 11, 2008--Norwegian Cruise Day 13 (Ah, it's over already...)
When we got up on our last day, none of the children wanted to leave the ship. I guess that means it was a good vacation. After breakfast and disembarking, I asked the children what their favorite part of the experience had been, and these were their responses:
J—The food and Second City (the comedy club people), but all of it was good.
D—The shore excursions.
A—I don’t know; I liked it all.
L—The Troll Path.
E—Everything.



I feel so privileged to have been able to have this experience. The trip was wonderful and we saw the most amazing things! When it all comes down to it, though, my favorite part of it all was just being with my family. I enjoy Kyle and our children so much, and being together for almost two weeks was wonderful, even including the day we were in Bergen (big grin). I'm so grateful to be living in a place that makes experiences like this possible, and I'm just feeling plain blessed! What an incredible journey life is!

NOW WHO'S GOING TO WADE THROUGH THE OVER 900 PICTURES I TOOK??? IT WAS JUST SO PRETTY! (Needless to say, a full gallery of pictures will be coming MUCH, MUCH LATER...