Sunday, June 20, 2010
European Excursion
Even though our first few days in New Orleans have been a little rough, we had a wonderful time in France. I will give a short run down of our two and a half week vacation. We spent our first day in Paris trying to get over jetlag; we had to stay standing because we discovered that sitting down or even just leaning on something was conducive to falling asleep. I have never been so tired in my entire life! To be honest, I don't remember a whole lot about that day, I think I was only half conscious; I do know that we walked around a lot though.
The next day, we drove down (that is Brett drove while I continually failed at any attempt to keep my eyes open) to Geneva to stay with my Aunt Heather and her family. They took us to a beautiful Mideaval castle called Yvoire and gave a little tour of Geneva. Brett and I decided that we couldn't miss out on seeing the Swiss Alps when we were so close, so we spent the next day in the majestic mountains. Our favorite part of the day was spent in a tiny little town called Gimmelwald (it was on the shows Amazing Race and Rick Steve's Europe); this isolated town can only be accessed by cable car or hiking and probably has less than 50 residents. The town had a little stinky cheese store, a tiny gift shop, a few motels, and a few quaint farms. The views were incredible- I now better understand the phrase "heaven on earth."
That weekend, we drove up to Normandy and spent time with some of Brett's amazing friends from his mission. They made us amazing french meals, took us on a scenic tours of Normandy, and shared a lot of laughs. It was so fun to see two grown women (Marie-Sylvie and her sister Elisabeth) jam out to their favorite French singer-Christophe Mae; they even got Brett dancing, which isn't a small feat.
While in Normandy, we also got to visit the American cemetery, the Memorial museum, and Omaha beach; it was a solemn and eye-opening experience.
We spent our last week in Paris visiting the sites and touring the city. We saw Versailles, the Musee Dor'say, the Louvre, Notre Dame, climbed the Eiffel Tower, floated on the Seine, ate lots of delicious French food, and just had fun experiencing the life of a Parisian.
We are now back in reality, but are so grateful we got to experience this vacation. Brett starts residency on Tuesday and we are praying that we will be able to get settled soon. Oh dear....Brett and Josh are wrestling each other, so I better go break it up. A special thanks to our families for all of their help and to our French friends for their hospitality. Loves!
Friday, April 23, 2010
In the Bayou
Our last few weeks in Arizona were so much fun. We got to fly in a private plane (I would not have posted this, but it sounds like someone told my mom on us), my cousin Melissa got engaged, and we had a fun Easter with the Hatch family. Conference was amazing, and the easter pageant in Mesa gave us an extra spiritual boost. Thanks to Grandma Jacque and the Hatches for such a wonderful time.
We finally got back to Utah last Thursday. We are making final preparations for the big move and taking advantage of spending time with our families while we still can. This last weekend, we celebrated my dad's birthday and I made the cake; it was pretty much the ugliest thing that has ever existed (sorry dad). My lack of cooking talent is very depressing- good thing my husband can cook (I don't get how he knows how to do everything....crazy). I have made banana bread since though and it wasn't too bad, so maybe there is a little hope for me.
Yesterday, we celebrated our cute little neice's (Hailey) second birthday. Brett gave her a stethescope (according to Hailey it is a "stefatope") and she was walking around to everyone, putting it up to their backs and saying "breeve" (aka breathe). I wish I had a picture.
Welp, that's a wrap for now. Looks like we may have to move out of our place this week, so I will probably be a blog-slacker yet again. Peace and love!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Match Week
Anyways, we have done a few fun things over the past ten days despite all of the time wasted worrying. Brett and I toured this famous Hunting/Fishing store (I can't remember the name) that people come from all over to see; I told Brett that these "people" are probably solely men. It's kind of like Cabella's, but even bigger.
Brett and I have enjoyed taking walks in the beautiful weather down here. The other day, Brett decided to spice up our walk by putting me on his shoulders. I am sure the passing cars thought we were crazy. After our Sunday walk we came home to discover that I had received a bird present in my hair. It was pretty humorous, especially because Brett had been telling me about getting pooped on by birds on his mission. I guess nature thought I ought to experience it too.
Our giant Shadow.
Last Saturday, we went to the Aloha Festival- mostly because it was free. We saw people shaking their booties and a whole pig being roasted.
We also got to go to another Suns game, I think Jacque is trying to convert us:) Brett seemed to have a good time imitating some of the annoying fans in front of us. We got really excited when we noticed a "You are a winner" sign posted in our seating area, but it ended up being on the seat right next to ours...so close!
Our final adventure of the week was a trip to the Grand Canyon. We wanted to spend as little money as possible, so we went online and booked a motel for $39. Let's just say we got what we paid for, the motel was pretty much a dump. Our towels were mildewy, we could feel the bed springs through the mattress, and the heater was a piece of crap; we would be sweating like crazy when it was on and freezing when it was off. Brett would not even walk barefoot on the carpet. It's something to laugh about though, and we ended up having a lot of fun. We woke up early the next morning, anxious to vacate our motel, and spent most of the day at the canyon. It was so beautiful! The views made the nasty hotel and overpriced food all worth it.
At the bottom of the hike-Gorgeous!
The beginning of our hike was a little scary, I fell three times.
The evil heater and nasty towels!