Home Sweet Home

We really are happy to be home in our own beds! That was definitely the trip of a lifetime and we are so happy we decided to go. The countries we chose were all so unique and the weather was awesome while we were there. No rain to speak of and some hot days in the eighties and nineties. So David and I chose our favorite big city and small city. Mine are Paris, France and Venice, Italy. Davids choices are Berlin, Germany and Monterosso, Italy. We didn't really buy anything while we were there besides books that we left behind after reading. We both read five books while we were there on the long train rides. Nothing got stolen but we did get approached a lot by gypsees trying to swindle us.

Wonderful day in Paris! Champs élysées, louvre, Pompidou! Tomorrow we head to versailles. We love the French unlike the stereotype!

I got stung by a jelly fish in nice. The lifeguard helped me clean it up and he barely spoke English. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a snake.

Made it safely to Avingnon! It is awesome here. Just a small French town with lots of shopping. Off to Paris tommorrow for crepes!

On the French riviera enjoying the warm water and rocky beaches. David likes rocks over sand. Tomorrow we hit the modern art museum and Monte Carlo!

We are Alive

We havent been able to get to WiFi in awhile because of small towns and expensive internet. We are in Monterosso, Italy enjoying a wonderful time on the Mediterannean. No idea how to spell it. We are off to Nice, France tomorrow. We love you all and miss you much. Sorry I havent called you mom.

Italy continued....

David, Michael, Meg and me are waiting for our train to Rome tonight. Meg and I were a little surprised by what Florence was like. It is quite a bustling city with lots of leather merchants and random old buildings scattered about. Once we got down to the bridges over the water it looked like the Florence I had heard about. It was very pretty and quite romantic. We luckily were there on the day they celebrate the patron saint of Florence so we saw a wonderful fire works show over the water with about a million other people. Florence definitely has the most English speaking people and more leather than I have ever seen. I would have brought my Dad back a brief case if we had the room. We arrive in Rome tonight and are doing a two day speed trip through Rome. We were thinking of spending three days there but I really want to spend a day in Tuscany so we might bug out a day early. Then we will spend some time in Cinque Terre. These last two days have been really hot and I bet Rome will be even hotter. We miss you all very much.

We are just finishing our time in Venice looking at canals and eating gelato. The four of us are off to Florence and then Rome! I love Italia

Munich Monday. Today we are taking a Walking Tour around the City and then Hopping a Night Train to meet the thompsons in venice.. We are in an Apple.

The Countryside

After leaving Tobys house we traveled by train to St Goar and stayed in the smallest room we have ever seen. It was worth it though because we could look out our window and see a castle. We took at fifteen mile bike ride down the Rhine River and saw a dozen castles. We ferried across the river and went up the other side which was against the wind and I was super tired. I drafted behind David so I wouldnt be blown away. We then left for Rothenburg ob der tauber, a walled city in the gorgeous countryside. We stayed at Frau Lieblers house which was wonderful and beautiful. We slept for ten hours. We are spending the afternoon here and then are off to Munich this afternoon. We are skipping going to Fussen and will stay in Munich two nights. Then we are off to venice to meet megan and michael. We miss you Mom and Dad, and by that I mean both sets of family. We will try to call the Moms next time we get WiFi. Sorry we missed you Laurie. Love you guys. We are having the trip of a lifetime. We still cant believe we are here. Sorry but we cant post any pictures so you can see them when we get back. Imagine us in a medieval town with blanklooks on our faces as everyone speaks languages we dont know.

We met Toby and his family yesterday and slept at their house in Hannover. We are going to explore Hannover today and then take the train to St Goar!

We spent a full day in Berlin seeing all the cites and historic Nazi head quarters. We touched the Berlin Wall and saw Brandenburg Gate!

Taking off! Just spent three hours with the dansons in the airport!

Europe here we come

Tomorrow David and I are going to be taking off to Germany, Italy, and France. We will be meeting our good friend Toby in Berlin and then seeing his hometown in Hannover. The plan after that is to see the Rhine Valley, Heidleberg, Rothenberg, and Munich. We will end our trip in Fussen and then cross into Venice, Italy. There we will be meeting our great friends Megan and Michael Thompson. They have alot of energy and will keep us on our toes. The four of us will head to Florence and then Rome for three days. The Thompsons will leave us there and David and I will take the coast up to Cinque Terre. After a day or two we will head to Aux en Provence, France and Nice. After the French Riveria we will be in Paris for three days. Next, we chunnel under to London and fly out July 7. We will be able to do all these cities in three weeks? We are not sure but we have high hopes. We plan on updating this blog when we have internet along the way. We are blessed to have an adventure like this!

Change

There is something really fun about change. I guess I have always been intrigued by moving somewhere new though I don't know where that would be. So because me and david aren't really going to change anything in our lives I have settled for changing things in our house. I am hoping to paint the kitchen and de-yellow it a little. We are contemplating doing a gray-blue in the bathroom and beige in our bedroom. I think I may change the pillows in our family room to add in a new color. Any ideas on a new color scheme?

Kate's Surgery

She looks so cute! This picture makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time.

Our Star Look Alikes

My diagnosis

For the past couple of years I have gotten really red from working out and when I take a shower my face is red and rashy for about a half an hour. I was trying to figure out what I have and I think this is it. Cholinergic or heat urticaria is a form of chronic hives that is caused by an increase in body temperature. Hives are caused by any increase in body temperature, such as hot showers, exercise, spicy foods, or being under too many covers in bed at night. Strong emotions may also cause hives to occur in people with cholinergic urticaria. So what I have to do is take cool showers, use lots of lotion, and try to stay cool. Last night I went to bed lathered with face lotion and David thought I was a little over the top.

Haiti

Ten U.S. missionaries charged over attempt to kidnap and smuggle Haiti 'orphans' could face up to fifteen years in jail

Last updated at 2:39 AM on 05th February 2010

Ten American missionaries have been charged with kidnapping and criminal conspiracy for trying to smuggle children out of earthquake-stricken Haiti.

The Baptist group sang hymns as they were whisked off to jail after appearing in court in the capital Port-au-Prince.

They were arrested last week as they tried to take 33 Haitian children to an orphanage across the border in the Dominican Republic.

As she entered the closed-door session, mission organiser Laura Silsby claimed: ‘We expect God's will be done. And we will be released.’

But there was confusion as the hearing drew to a close with a lawyer representing the group claiming that he expected nine of the ten Americans to be released.

But minutes later, the five men and five women were led looking grim and unsmiling to a bus and were driven back to jail.

After announcing the charges, Haitian Deputy Prosecutor Jean Ferge Joseph told the defendants that their case was being sent to an investigative judge.

‘The judge can free you but he can also continue to hold you for further proceedings,’ he added.

The Americans, who insist they did nothing wrong, were still behind bars last night awaiting the investigating judge’s decision.

The case has become a flashpoint for fears that child traffickers could profit from the chaos in Haiti, one of the world’s poorest countries, in the aftermath of the January 12 earthquake.

Haitian authorities said the group lacked the authorisation and travel documents needed to take the children out of the country.

After the Americans' arrest, evidence emerged that the majority of the children intercepted with them were not orphans.

Haitian police said some parents admitted to handing over their children to the missionaries in the belief they would get an education and a better life.

The defendants deny they were engaged in child trafficking and said they were just trying to help some of the thousands of orphans left destitute and abandoned by the quake.

The children, ranging in age from two to 12, are now being cared for at the Austrian-run SOS Children's Village in Port-au-Prince.

Haiti's government has tightened adoption procedures since the quake, saying it feared unscrupulous traffickers could try to take advantage of the disaster by spiriting away vulnerable children.

Officials said they already had reports of trafficking of minors, and even of human organs.

Pray for Kate

Kate Bug is going in for a small procedure on Tuesday morning at 7:30 to get tubes put in her ears. She is just like her daddy and sister who both have tubes as well. She does have to go under anesthesia so pray that all goes well. The doctor says that Kate can only hear 20% right now so we are excited for her to get the other 80% back.

Somewhat Healthy Cookies

Tollhouse Whole Wheat Cookies

1c. whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

10 tbsp. apple sauce or butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. oats

1 c. dark chocolate chips

1/2 c. nuts, unsalted and unsweetened

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes

Hugs and Kisses

Last night David and I took Miss Ava Jean out on a date. We drove in the pouring rain to the Olive Garden in Ventura and met Addison, Kate, Kelli, and my mom. The girls were so excited to see each other. Addison couldn't stop smiling and laughing and Ava kept asking "What did she say?" They couldn't quite understand each others lisps so we had to interpret alot of the conversation for them. Ava wanted to have spaghetti and Addison wanted mac and cheese, but when Addison heard what Ava was having she quickly changed her order to spaghetti too. Once we were done with the dinner we went outside and the girls held hands and ran together. They gave each other hugs and kisses and Ava told Addison she loved her. Kelli flew with the girls back to Colorado this morning and I will really miss them. Josh may be taking a new position in San Francisco, California or Atlanta, Georgia so I will be praying for their decision hoping it brings them closer to us!

Time with the Girls

Family and Guns... the two go together for the Angels

I have been down in Thousand Oaks on and off this last week because my brother, his wife, and daughters are out from Colorado. We have been getting up at 6:30 to 7:00am every morning and starting the day off with a bang. While the girls have been here we have gone to Sea World, Gigi's house in San Diego, to Santa Barbara for shopping, and today we may go to a petting zoo. David and my brother are in a shooting competition in Lake Piru. I am not sure David really knew what he was getting into, but I hope he is having fun doing a man thing. David is shooting his Glock today that my dad bought him for his 25th birthday. I think it is the first time he has shot it so I am anxious to hear how it went. My dad wants to get me a gun for my 25th birthday so I have to decide what kind I want. A glock seems to be a bit of a gang banger gun to me. Maybe I will go for a nice riffle.

The Sweetest Gift

After we came home from our date this gift was sitting outside our house. Our dear friend dropped it off for an anniversary gift. It is the cutest pillow! http://www.etsy.com/shop/GiggleRoom

Two Year Anniversary

Here we are outside the Enterprise Fish Co. David got lobster and it was half off because we were there on a wednesday. Because it was just the two of us we had to take pictures of each other.

Yes. It fit! I loved having the dress back on. Can we have a girls party where we all wear our dresses again?

Two Year Anniversary

This picture was taken last year on our one year anniversary. I wanted to see if I could fit into my dress again. So January 13, 2010 will be my second time trying on my dress since my wedding. I have no idea if I will fit in it or not. We shall see....

Peer Pressure

David is still really sick today so I made him come into the office to get shots. He was a little reluctant but when he woke up feeling as sick as a dog he decided it was important. First I gave David two shots of Rocephin in his butt/hip. The shots stung pretty bad. After that I drew his blood for cholesterol, thyroid, mono, and some other things. David is kind of my little experiment. When I was a little girl I used to coerce my friends into letting me cut their hair, do their makeup, and I even pierced some ears. I am glad I was a good girl growing up because I am really good at peer pressure.

Our Dating Days!

David's Neon Phase

2010 Calendar

Today was an amazing day. I stayed at work from 8:30 to 5:00. And get this, I walked to work this morning. Staying at work all day is a challenge and walking to work means I had to wake up early which is an amazing fete. I am a new woman in 2010. Just kidding I am the same old me that got into my sweats about three minutes after I got home tonight. The new year always makes me anxious to get a new calendar and try to map out all my vacations, appointments, parties, events, etc. This year I hope David and I can go to Colorado to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and nieces. Then this summer we really want to back pack through Europe. We want to go to England, France, Germany, and Italy. Currently I am researching flights and asking people for help who are familiar with Europe. Whenever my boss decides when he is going on vacation then we can book flights! I hope nothing gets in the way of Europe this summer!

Me and Hudson

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

I must admit that I may have been the only person this monday morning who was excited to go back to work. We kind of have a little family at the Doctors office. We are still a one car family right now so David had to drop me off and pick me up from work. It reminds me of the days when we were first married, prior to the purchase of our volvo. Don't worry, the volvo is just in the shop for a check up. Today when I got home from work I finished the book Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. It was a really sad story about a girl named Lily in nineteenth-century China who has to endure foot binding and an arranged marriage. What is so interesting about this story is that Lily is closer to her laotong or same old (friend) Snow Flower than she is her husband. When the ladies were in their thirties they ended up losing their life-long friendship over a misunderstanding. There were a lot of good lessons in this book. What I found to be thought-provoking was that Snow Flower wanted a friend who would sympathize with her while Lily thought it was most important to remind Snow Flower of tradition. Lily was as hard as a rock and regretted it the rest of her life. I don't want to ever be like that, but a good friend has to tell the truth. I wrestle with Snow Flower and Lily's style of friendship.

Kate's First Christmas

Kate, our niece, is the most smiley little girl I have ever seen. We get to see her this weekend and Addison who I have renamed doodle phink. I like renaming people really close to me. My brother Josh is Sechwan. His wife Kelli is Snelli. And Kate is yet to have a new name. We will make it up together when she learns to talk.

Being Domestic

Being domestic is a challenge for me and I am continually learning the art of being a housewife. Today I excelled in housewifery if I might say so myself. I woke up and made fresh carrot apple juice in my new Jack La Laine juicer. Then I made Quinoa for lunch with artichoke hearts, garlic, spinach, onions, and red bell pepper. For a snack I made David whole wheat chocolate chip oatmeal cookies that were pretty yummy. It is nice finding a good whole wheat recipe that doesn't taste like dirt. For dinner we had scrambled eggs with spinach, onions, cheese, and chicken apple sausage. I so far have kept my new years resolution of eating more veggies and david stopped eating the sausage when he got full. Well done.

I am Back

Today I was talking to my sister-in-law allison and decided it was time to get back to this blog since she is an avid reader of blogs. So this blog is dedicated to Allison. My one and only reader. Today is January 1, 2010 and I am ready to begin the new year. I have decided to eat more vegetables this year and David is stopping eating when he gets full. Funny that both of our new year resolutions are about food.