Europe - PARIS (say it with the right accent!)

Sacré-Cœur Basilica 

We heard a story about a martyr who was beheaded and picked up his head and walked to the next hill to die.  Here is a statue representing him.

We paid a little extra to be able to walk around in the basement (full of statues) and then walk up to the top!  I loved how worn the stairs were from the main floor to the upper levels - thousands and thousands of priests have walked these steps over the past 100+ years.

A view from the top

It was sad to see the graffiti (scratched in) throughout this amazing building.

We had an afternoon at the "Louvre".  We had to elbow our way to the front of this room - it was packed and felt like Black Friday.

A view of the Louvre from one of its windows.

There is a tradition to put a lock on the chain-links of this bridge.  Actually - there were several bridges covered with locks.  We got to walk on this bridge the next day - see below. 

On our boat tour of Paris.

My parents

We had an early start to get to the Eiffel Tower before it opened.  Many groups have come and haven't had enough time to go up.  We got there while lines were relatively short!  Shayne and I walked up stairs to the first level then took the elevator to the top.  I really enjoyed the Eiffel Tower! 

My favorite pic

Walking around after looking for a good lunch.  Shayne got a Croissant and I opted for a strawberry tart - yummy.  

At the park where the band performed, we had to have a traditional Crepe.  We had one with ham & cheese and another with strawberry jam.  The ham/cheese was my favorite.

 The choir students would join the band for the last number while a few of the students went throughout the audience to shake their hands and say thank-you for coming.  It was very touching and evidently, we're the only group (other states do this tour) who do this and it's a favorite of the locals.

Notre Dame

Another favorite picture.  We walked past a little sidewalk cafe and all the parents had normal food and the kid had Escargot!  So, Shayne grabbed the camera to get a picture of this "kid's meal" to show our kids.  The boy made a face that we couldn't have paid him to make at that very moment... absolutely classic.

On the lock bridge - can we find a spot?

We found one and sealed our love with a kiss and a toss of the key...

Shayne "enjoying" Escargot.

Europe - London!

We had the opportunity to accompany the "Ambassadors of Utah" (as chaperones) to Europe this summer.  My parents were in charge of making this trip happen and obviously, that was our connection to this amazing adventure.  We both left thinking - this is going to be cool to see Europe, but going with a group of high school kids just doesn't seem ideal.  Well, it proved to be GREAT and AMAZING and honestly - words can't describe the amount we saw and did, nor can I say enough about the caliber of students we traveled with.   It was truly AWESOME.  The students performed (choral and band) in every city we visited and the concerts were fantastic.  The audiences were fantastic!  I'm so grateful we got to do this trip.  I'm including a few of my 1,000+ pictures - I think I need a new hard drive just to save all the pics that my dad and I took on our own cameras!  Enjoy the sights...

Windsor Castle

St Pauls Cathedral

Millenium Bridge (you've seen this in Harry Potter, well, if you watched Harry Potter)

The London "EYE"

Lining up to see the "Change of Guard" 

In front of Buckingham Palace

I liked their lingo around town...

We loved this huge building - I believe it's just a government building - but it was magnificent.

These are the capsules on the EYE, we're in one ourselves.

 The view from the EYE

The Black Friars Corner - just a really neat building.

Having the beloved "Fish-n-Chips" - best ones in London according to our food sources.

*noted, Shayne wants this tombstone for his grave. 

One of the fans early to the concert.  He had a Utah flag and a US flag in the other hand - this place was filled up during the band concert.

The Rosetta Stone - the stone that changed what we know about ancient languages since it had 1 message in 3 languages, including Egyptian.  

Inside the theatre before the "Lion King" musical.  It was spectacular.  But also hard to stay alert after walking and moving all day long!!

Cali = fun in the sun

We have a family reunion with Shayne's fam every other year in Oceanside, California.  At the end of this week, Shayne & I left for Europe (post to come) so our vacation was cut a little short this time around.  I managed to be out there for a couple days before I flew home with Skyler.  Shayne drove the big boys home a few days after that.  

The beauties of the beach (my nieces)

My dear friend, Laura came to spend the day on the beach with us!  She lives close to LA, but is not a fan of the beach.  I'm so glad she decided to "rough it" and  came to hang out with us!  I love her DARLING children!  SOOOOOO cute.  Just wish her sweet hubby could have come too. 

  

A certain boy kept doing face-plants in the sand.  I'm not so sure why.  Maybe it's a 1 year old thing... 

June Highlights

To kick off the summer, the boys (Hunter/Cole) purchased a sno-cone machine.  They had a lot of fun this first night - Hunter and his best friend had the radio going and made all sorts of "deals" to draw in the neighborhood.  Cole rode his bike around recruiting friends to come buy a sno-cone!  If I remember right, they made close to $30!

best buds - with their "dual-creation"

 Cole got BAPTIZED!  Cole asked his dad to baptize him.  He was surrounded by family and friends and it was a special morning to celebrate his choice to follow Jesus' example.

Part of turning 8 is starting the cub-scout program!  Both Hunter and Cole attended Scout Day Camp this year - but at different times.  I went with the 8 and 9 year olds and it was a very fun day.

PS getting this many 8 & 9 year olds to row in an orderly fashion was an ABSURD expectation.

Hanging out at Grandma's house.  I caught Skyler sharing his goodies with Grandma...

We went waterskiing with a friend.  He brought along his skiing buddy who happens to be a skiing instructor for his livelihood.  He went out there with Hunter and Cole - what a fun day!

Both Shayne and I got up on Slolem skiing.  They had that cool bar and were able to give us instructions as we moved.  It was my best experience with slolem!

They also had Hunter drive us home...

And last, but not least, I also completed my first 10K.  I finished it in great time and I didn't get sore or feel exhausted - it was a great run.  (plus I also had my running buddy with me, everything is more fun with a friend!)  So it had me thinking along the lines of trying a half marathon...  maybe next year!   PS my fancy medal went behind my number, oh well.