Christmas at Home

What a wonderful Christmas! Chris and I traveled back to the States in early December to attend a wedding in Cancun, and then spend some time with our families in Texas. The wedding was gorgeous, and the weather in Cancun was splendid...90's every day! It was a bit of a shock to our English skin, but we sure have enjoyed our temporary tans! And our visit back to Arlington was great as well. We spent about a day w/ each family (short, but sweet), opened presents, ate yummy food, laughed, hugged, and just enjoyed being back in Texas. My dad and I went to the amazing Ice Exhibit at the Gaylord, & Chris and his dad scoped out the abundance of computer stores in the metroplex :)

When we arrived back in England, it was back to work for both Chris and I....but we didn't let that stop us from having lots of holiday fun!! First, it was off to an "Ugly Sweater Christmas Party" at one of our friends houses. THAT was pretty funny! Then, on Christmas Eve, we got together with our friends Kelly & Jeff for a Mexican Christmas Feast. Hopefully that will be an annual tradition :) On Christmas morning, we slept late and made a scrumptious waffle breakfast before starting in with the presents. We really savored being in our own home this Christmas, as it was our first one together by ourselves. Chris opened his Birthday present first, and I sang Happy Birthday (oh, you should have heard it, it was concert material...heehee). Presents & stockings were next...I LOVE stockings!! Then we cleaned up and headed over to our good friends Wendy & Jason's to see what their little girls got for Christmas. It was so fun to visit w/ them on such a special day, and see how joyful their little ones were. We ate some yummy snacks and then it was back home for Chris's birthday dinner. I made his favorites and then we had brownie sundaes for dessert...mmmm :) The next day Chris got up early (I wasn't feeling well...no it wasn't from my cooking!!) and went to the airport to pick up his Aunt Dianne & Grandmama. Though Chris quickly had to go back to work, I had a great time showing them around East Anglia. We toured Chris's "office", Cambridge, Bury St. Edmunds, Newmarket, & London. We even braved the Harrod's After-Christmas Sale....ummm, THAT was crazy! Chris & I dropped them off in London last night, and stopped by Trafalgar Square to see the enormous, beautifully lit Christmas tree that sits in its center.

It was a great way to end a great Christmas!

The Meaning of Christmas

As many of you know, I am a substitute teacher at a school on base here in England. The kids are always chitter-chattering away, spreading their joy to all who will listen. At this time of year especially, they are so contagiously happy that I can't help but get swept up in the excitement of the holidays. Today, for example, the entire school gathered in the lobby and sang Christmas carols. The sound of their sweet voices filled the hallways, and I was instantly taken back to the memory of my childhood and the buzzing anticipation of Santa and his eight tiny reindeer dancing on rooftops. Their faces shined, smiles were exchanged, and hands were held as they finished with a jubilent rendition of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". It was such an enchanting way to start the day!
So then, back in my classroom, I read "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (for the first time in about 15 years!). And my "Grinch voice" would do my Mama proud, if I do say so myself! Anyway, at the end of the story, I asked the kids what the Grinch learned about Christmas. Of course, I got a few of the typical random 1st grade answers like, "He learned that he likes the color green!", and "He learned that he needs reindeer and not a dog!". But one answer stood out from the rest. A little girl in the back said, "He learned that Christmas isn't about what you get, it's about who you're with, and who you love. It's about family, and friends, and Jesus." (Yes, a 1st grader said this!) And I, in turn, teared up.
I love children, their sweet innocence and their surprising wisdom. I love how they can remind us, in their silly ways, that it's the simple things that matter the most. No matter what they go through (parents deploying, changing schools, packing their life up every 2-3 years) they always have this wide-eyed optimism that serves to inspire us to be a little more hopeful, a little more happy, and a little more kind.
May the spirit of Christmas fill your heart this year. May joy surround you and your family. And may Christ fill your lives with childlike wonder & amazement at all the blessings you have received!
With love and a Merry Christmas,
Chris & Amy

Thanksgiving in Prague

Chris and I wanted to go somewhere different this year for Thanksgiving...Prague, Czech Republic seemed like the perfect destination! We have been wanting to travel to Prague since arriving here almost a year ago. Everyone we talked to simply raved about the "Golden City". We had our hopes set high, and we were not disappointed. We arrived on Thanksgiving Day, around the time that we should have been eating turkey & dressing! Instead, we checked into our hotel and set off to explore this gorgeous gothic city. Our hotel was situated in the middle of the famed Wencelas Square and we couldn't have been more pleased with the location. We were able to trek the entire city on foot, and we did...believe me, we did! We went to the Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, St. Vitus's Cathedral, Kampa Park, Old Town Square, and the Jewish Ghetto. We slept late every morning, but as soon as we were up...we were walking! Chris, (miracle worker that he is!) got me to let go of my PLAN and just go with the flow. I have to be honest, it was probably the most fun trip that we've ever been on together! Who knew that planning could restrict the glory of adventure??!! It was cold though, really REALLY cold. We somehow had forgotten that Prague used to be a part of Russia, and the weather was definitely RUSSIAN! But, we bundled up and found some great little shops that we could get warm in if we really needed to :) They were getting ready for Christmas and had Christmas trees up, lights turned on, and holiday music playing throughout the shops. It was a great way to start the holiday season!
We loved Prague, just as we have loved every place that we have been able to go this year. Moving to England has been such an incredible journey, and such an amazing blessing. We are constantly reminded of how lucky we are to be in this place at this time in our lives. We are so thankful to have such a supportive & encouraging family, wonderful friends, and the opportunity to travel all over God's great Earth and experience the beauty that He has provided us.
We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Happy Veteran's Day!!!

When I was younger, I just thought of Veteran's Day as an extra day-off from school in November. It was always just a bonus since we knew the Thanksgiving holiday would be coming up shortly thereafter! I never really gave much thought to what it meant, or took the time to celebrate it for what it is...a day to honor those who have served. Now that I am a military wife, today seems to be a little more poignant. Did you know that there are 24.9 million military veterans living in America today? (I didn't, I had to look it up!) But isn't that number amazing? That so many men & women have fought for our Great Nation so that she can be greater still, is absolutely incredible. And it's not about politics (Ha! Me, politics?!) No, it's about sacrifice, dedication, honor, & integrity. It is about doing something for the greater good, it's about believing in your heart that our freedom is worth something, and it's about doing whatever it takes to protect your home, your family, and your country. Today is a day to celebrate those people who gave, and continue to give, of themselves for something bigger...whether it be in Europe for Armistice Day, England for Rememberance Day, or America for Veteran's Day. So make sure that you hug a veteran today...for they truly, truly deserve one!! :)

Three Girls in Oslo

Melanie, Wendy and I all headed up to Oslo, Norway on Saturday morning (a little rough since the Crud Tournament was the night before) to embark on some Norwegian "girl time". We'd been searching for a fun travel location for a few months, when Wendy & I both found a great deal on airline tickets to Oslo. We quickly booked the tickets, found a hotel, and started envisioning ourselves shopping to our hearts content (a vacation w/o our husbands...oh the shopping possibilities!!) Little did we know; however, that Oslo is the most expensive city in Europe!!! Heehee...oops, no turning back now! So, we geared ourselves up for a great trip with a little less shopping :)

We arrived on Saturday mid-day and set off to find our hotel, after a quick trip to McDonalds, of course! We stayed just off the main road (Karl Johan's Gate), and our hotel was perfect for just the three of us. We visited the Oslo City Hall, where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded, and then went to the Nobel Peace Prize Center. They were having an exhibit on Freedom of Speech, but we were "shooed" out before we really got to look around...something about them being closed or some nonsense like that :) We then walked along the harbor to Akker Brygge...just FYI, it's not actually a bridge like I thought it was! I took the picture on the left from there...it's of the Akershus Fortress which was built in 1299. We did some shopping in the shopping center there before heading to TGI Friday's for dinner. It was so nice to sit down at a normal restaurant and actually have some delicious food and nice waiters. The prices were insane, but I have to say, I think it was worth every penny!

On Sunday morning we got up (a little late thanks to me forgetting to change the time on my phone) and headed to Holmenkollen to see the ski museum and the ski jump tower. That's me posing w/ a troll outside of the ski museum...he was pretty cute! The museum was cool, and the ski jump was amazing! I can't believe that skiers actually ski off of that thing, it was unbelievably tall and extremely steep! From there, we made our way to the Viking museum (after roaming around Oslo for awhile, chasing a bus, several stops into convenience stores to ask for directions, and lots of laughter). That museum was pretty interesting as well, but very small. We then went to the open-air Folk Museum, and then to Vigelandsparken (or Vigeland Park to you non-Norwegian speakers!). The Folk Museum was great...it was the perfect time of year to visit w/ the trees being so beautiful, everything seemed to just glow. Vigeland park is huge and a sculpture garden runs right up it's center. We walked through it in it's entirety and took lots of pictures of the beautiful Norwegian scenery. For dinner we went to the Hard Rock Cafe. Why go all the way to Oslo for American food, you ask? Ummm, try living in England for a year, and I'm pretty sure that's where you would pick as well!! :) We stayed up late both nights, just chatting and catching up. Those girls are so much fun, and I couldn't have asked for two better travel partners! We had a wonderful trip, and I'm already planning the next one :)

A Time to Remember

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all. ~Stanley Horowitz

I love the fall...the beautiful leaves, the crisp cool air, the delicious smells, and the memories that seem to swirl around me during this time of year. My Nana's birthday was today. She passed away almost two years ago, yet I felt her spirit embrace me from the moment I woke up this morning. She loved the autumn leaves, the deep purples & the bright reds. She loved to listen to the sweet morning songs of the birds who resided outside her window. I remember the little things that she noticed as the weather turned cooler...and today, maybe for the first time, I noticed them too. I took the time to enjoy the golden serenity of this evenings sunset, and the silly crunching sound of the leaves under my feet as I walked around our village tonight (I might have joyfully kicked a few piles too!!). I laughed as two colorful pheasants scrambled across the street, trying to find refuge in the too tall grass. I treasured the soft smell of smoke coming from chimneys, and imagined families cuddled up together, safe and warm inside their homes. My heart ached to share these things with her. As I sit here now, I remember her...her unconditional love, her goodness, and the simple things that she cherished. She was loved, and she is missed...and I really like to remember.

When in Rome...

Our first stop was Rome, one of the places that Chris and I have always wanted to visit together. We woke up early and headed to the "Stardust Lounge" to wait for our tour number to be called. Try to picture an immensely crowded room, filled with anxious cruisers, all of whom just know that THEY will be the ones who missed their tour! It was quite comical actually! Anyway, our number was called and we were soon herded to the buses. Our tour guide, bless her heart, seemed to have done one too many tours of Rome and wasn't just the most enthusiastic lady we've ever met. Thankfully, she's the only one who seemed to be this way, as all of our other guides were unbelievably helpful & kind. But, we did get to see all the major sites. The Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, and many of the arches that leave their mark throughout the city. We then headed to Vatican City and the beautiful St. Peter's Basilica. It was so fun to look out and see the same view that the Pope has each time he speaks from the church steps. We stood in a seemingly never-ending line (there's a picture of us standing in it on the left), but eventually made it inside the most spectacular church we have ever seen. The sheer size of it is enough to move you, but add to that the beautiful mosaics, sculptures, writings and design, and it just simply takes your breath away. We saw Michelangelo's "pieta`", which is now my most favorite work of art. It just leaves you speechless when you see it in person. We were also impressed with the 9 foot tall letters around the dome that had this message: "you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. ...I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven....". Such magnitude and grace. I just can't explain how beautiful it was.

We ended our tour there, did a little shopping in St. Peter's Square, and (of course) had some wonderfully delicious gelatto before getting back on the bus. The day was everything that we hoped it would be!

Cruise Tidbits

Much to our dismay, we are steadily getting back to our daily routine here in England. Gone are the leisurely mornings, the relaxing days by the pool, and the delightful midnight chocolate buffet! Yes, sadly, we are back to the grind...but at least we have pictures and made memories that will last a lifetime.

I think the best way to write about this trip is to cover a different place every day. We got to see and experience so many amazing things that if I tried to write about them all tonight, I'd be here til next week!! So, first just let me say that our cruise line (Norwegian) was just awesome! We flew to Barcelona early on a Sunday morning and then caught a cab to the port. Now THAT was an interesting cab ride!! Our cabbie got lost and actually had to pull over and look at one of those gigantic maps on the side of the road. He also didn't speak a WORD of English. He knew less English than Chris and I know of Spanish, so we quickly knew we were in for an adventure! We understood about 3 of his words..."andale" (hurry), "cinco" (five...we're still not really sure why he was screaming this), and "oh" (as in "oh, oh, oh", which he said over and over and over again!!). We really couldn't help him at all because we were too busy laughing in the backseat, really hoping that we didn't miss the boat!

The ship was just incredible. There were two swimming pools, 12 restaurants, a spa, a fitness center, a huge theatre, a casino, & so much more. It was overwhelming when we first boarded, we didn't stop getting lost until our 3rd day at sea! I played Bingo (those of you who know me, know that I'm a huge bingo fan) and won about $70! We also played Blackjack and won a little money there too! BUT, the thing that I'm most proud of winning is the bottle of champagne that we won while playing the Newlywed/Not So Newlywed Game! We were competing against 4 other couples, one of which had been married 64 years! We also did a Murder Mystery Dinner. We'd never done one of those before, and it was actually really fun. Chris ended up being the "murderer", and completely fooled everyone all night...pretty funny! We also got to see some wonderful performers. Magicians, singers, dancers and even a Cirque du Soleil type act that was unbelievable. They really turned the ship into something spectacular!

More tomorrow :)

Cheers!

This is why I love working with children!!

So, I went to work today and in my class we were talking about cities and states. Here's just a just one excerpt of our 30 minute discussion....

Me: "So Caleb, what city and state were you born in?"
Caleb: "Mississippi"
Me: "Okay, that's the state, but do you know the city?"
Caleb: "Uhhh, Mrs. Duncan (insert very exasperated little face here) I was a baby when I was born, how do you expect me to remember what city it was in?"

LOVE IT!

Anyway, we're obviously back from our WONDERFUL cruise. I still have trouble putting into words just how amazing this trip was. Don't worry, pictures are coming soon! We're still trying to get acclimated to being back at home...not having someone cook for us, not having constant entertainment, and not having a pool to lounge around by all day long. And that was just on the boat!! We're thankful to be home safe, and to have had the opportunity to explore some of the most beautiful places on earth. What a blessing that was :)

Istanbul or Bust!!!

So, Chris and I leave tomorrow morning for our 12 day cruise, and I am so excited that I can barely stand it!! A friend (a very, very sweet and wonderful friend) is picking us up at 5 in the morning and taking us to the airport. Our first stop is Barcelona, Spain where we'll board the ship and head to Italy. I am almost overwhelmed at the fact that we're actually going to be in Italy in 2 days. So fun!! Traveling there has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl, and being able to actually go now with Chris is just almost unbelievable!! We've already picked all of our "excursions" (did I mention that I am a little obsessive about planning things??), and I'm most looking forward to our Wine Tasting Adventure in Tuscany. I think Chris is most looking forward to climbing Mt. Vesuvius...funny how our tastes are just a little bit different :) Our next stop is Athens, Greece. (I'll let y'all know how that goes since I've heard a rumor about a few tiny fires somewhere in that vicinity!) Then it's on to Dubrovnik, Croatia where we'll be visiting a coastal yachting village. Then we head to Izmar & Istanbul, Turkey. We've heard such wonderful things about Turkey that we decided to stay an extra 2 days there at the end of our trip! I think Istanbul is going to be just amazing. I can't wait to go to the Beylerbeyi Palace, the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market!! It is going to be such a fantastic experience, something that we never even imagined that we would be doing! We'll be sure to take plenty of pictures and we'll let y'all know how it was when we return :)

Totally 80's!!!

So...how do you like our new look?? The above picture is of me and my friend Meredith before our Totally 80's party!! The wives here get together every month as a group to go over the "schedule", snack on some fabulous food, and just catch up on each other's lives. Each month is a different "theme", and this month was a tribute to a decade of tight-rolled jeans, insanely high hair, leg warmers, & (my favorite) jellies!! Our friends Mhari & Emily went down to High Street and purchased some RAD clothes & accessories to complete our look. The funny thing is, we could all go out in Newmarket and completely fit in with the regular pub crew!! The party was great...complete with fondue...and though we didn't win a prize for "best dressed", I think we were definitely rockin' the 80's spirit! See for yourself....Emily, Mhari, Me, Kelly & Meredith...mmmm, side pony-tails & spandex tights should definitely come back in style!!The wives...We have 2 Madonna's & a Flash-dancer in the front row!!

Deep in the HEART of Texas

Chris and I just arrived back in England after a much needed, and wonderful trip back to Texas. We started off our trip in San Antonio to see Chris's dad (Mike) become the new Knight Commander for Kappa Alpha Order. We drove down with Grandmama & Aunt Dianne on a Thursday morning, making sure to stop at all of our favorite fast-food spots! Gotta love Chick-fil-a! The hotel was incredible, and was right on the Riverwalk. Our room was amazing (thanks Mike!!) and we had fun lounging by the pool, catching up on sleep, and spending time with the family. There were all kinds of activities for the wives and family members...a riverboat lunch (complete with fab Mexican food!), a beautiful brunch, a shopping trip, and a tour of the churches in the area. At night we both got to enjoy a mini-rodeo, awesome bar-b-que, a silent auction in a beautiful old train station, and of course the banquet honoring Mike which was just gorgeous and so much fun!

We left on Sunday morning and headed back to Arlington for a visit with the rest of our families. I got to accompany my mom to her new job, which she LOVES, and see her in action. It was so fun to see her so happy, and so excited about what she is doing now! I also went to NRH2O with my dad, Carlotta, Amy and the kids...which is a MUST if you haven't been before. It was hot, and the kids were ready to leave after just a couple of hours, but I had a blast chasing Landry through the "Splashatory", and racing him, my dad and Amy down the slides. What could be more fun than a water park in the summertime?? Chris and I also got to visit with some great friends while we were back in Tejas. We met three other couples out in Dallas at Cuba Libre (yummy!), and then headed over to the Old Monk to chat and catch up. We capped off our night at John & Erin's house where Chris and John played Wii. Needless to say, the Wii is now a MUST HAVE at the Duncan household!! I visited the Modern Art Museum with my dad and got to see the amazing Ron Mueck exhibit. I highly recommend checking it out if you have a chance! Chris spent lots of time by the pool, and scoping out all the electronics stores that are so lacking here in England! On our last night in Arlington, we invited some other friends and family over to my mom's house for a cook-out. We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, swam and laughed at all the stories that always come out when we all get together. It was a great way to end a great trip! Chris and I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who love and support us no matter how far away we are. It is always hard to leave again, and we are already looking forward to making the trip out to Texas again, and then Mexico for John & Erin's wedding in December!! Til next time...cheers!

Updates and Pictures....

So...a lot has happened since I blogged last! Chris & Jason flew in an Airshow in Duxford, which was pretty cool! I took a video with my camera; however, I'm not savvy enough to know how to upload it onto the blog yet, so you'll have to be patient until Chris can help me. I took a few pictures, but if you've ever taken Airshow pictures, the planes turn out looking like little flies on a big piece of blue paper....not exactly frame-worthy material, but here is one just so you can see that he actually DID fly :) I went with the Wendy, her girls, and Miss Meredith (as Cara lovingly calls her). The announcer guy even gave a little "shout out" to Meredith's upcoming bundle of joy!! It was pretty cool :)
Then, last Friday we went to a Hawaiian Luau! Everyone pitched in, brought some food, and we all had a great time. It turned out to be a gorgeous night in England (haven't seen much of those lately), so we got to stay and enjoy our friends and their families. I love going to things like that...especially since we're so far away from our extended families back Texas. Getting to spend quality time with the amazing people here really makes it feel like home. It was unreal how many children there were...there were bouncy castles, a surf machine, and lots of land for them to run around and play on. It's so fun to see everyone having such a good time and relaxing...I love summertime!!

I'm happy to say that I'm still working out :) I've been inspired by my dad who has suddenly taken up running and biking! Sadly, I'm not sure I can keep up with him....but it sure is a good motivator!! When we go back to the States tomorrow (woohoo!!! Texas here we come!!), hopefully we'll have some time to run together. I'm going to have to do SOMETHING b/c Chris and I have already started mapping out where we want to go to eat while we're home. The list is long (and not so healthy), so I might running a lot more than I had planned!! We're so excited to be going back, 8 months is a long time to not see your family! I actually conquered my normal procrastination syndrome and packed this afternoon :) So, by this time tomorrow we'll be back in the States...well, in the air over the States, but that counts too!!

Til then...cheers!

Back Online!!

Well, it has been a long four days without the sweet convenience of the Internet and a home phone line. We've been living without TV, a dishwasher, or a washer/dryer for 7 months now, but the phone and Internet thing just about did us in!! Luckily they both got turned back on yesterday and all is well in the Duncan household once again.
We're so excited to go back to Texas in about 2 weeks. It is always so fun to see our families and friends again after such a long time. Hopefully we will have enough time to see everyone for at least a little bit before we travel back home. We'll be in San Antonio for 4 days and then in Arlington for 6...we're both really hoping to work on our tans a little bit before we come back (if you haven't heard, the sun just doesn't linger for very long in our neck of the woods!!). It will be interesting to see how we handle the heat (especially in San Antonio) after having a very mild (80 degrees MAX) summer over here....we might just melt! Oh, but being back in Texas again with the sun, the Tex-Mex, the accents, the right side of the road, and oh...did I mention the Tex-Mex?!? Who could ask for anything more?!
Chris is flying in his first Airshow this weekend! They will do two fly-bys...plenty of time to get some great pictures. The Hilburn family, our friend Meredith and I are all planning on spending the day out there enjoying the weather and watching them fly. Chris finished his last "test" last week (he did awesome!), so he's really looking forward to having some fun in the jet.
More soon....Cheers!!

Simple Things

The past few weeks have been fast and furious, and we're both starting to feel like the summer is just speeding past us! We had "first Friday" last Friday and it was so great to just relax and enjoy spending some time with friends. The theme was "Red, White, and Blue" (for obvious reasons) so I decided to try my hand at a flag cake! One of the things I love about living here in England is that the fruit is just wonderful. Since we have a tiny refrigerator (trust me, it's tiny) we have to buy really fresh food so that it won't spoil. Now, the old me (the one living with my nice dishwasher, my functional washer/dryer, and my splendidly cool air conditioning system) would be put out buy having to go to the grocery store three times a week. But the new me LOVES trying out the local markets and flower shops! The flowers in the picture above will seriously last 3 weeks! And the raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries that I used for the cake were absolutely marvelous. It's the little things like these that keep a smile on my face even when the largest fly I have ever seen is happily buzzing around my living room because apparently the English have never heard of window screens :)

We also went to a cook-out last weekend and I can't remember the last time I had so much fun! They had a HUGE bouncy castle that was like an obstacle course and by the end of the night all the girls were competing in timed relays! There was amazing food, scrumptious desserts, and they even had a chocolate fountain! We started a fire, roasted marshmallows and just spent the whole night chatting and laughing. Chris had fun too...getting his truck stuck in a creek after taking some guys off-roading! It was probably more funny the next day, but I assure you we had some good laughs :)

This week was pretty hectic...lots of meetings for me, and tons of early flights for Chris...so, by the time Friday rolled around we were ready for a nice relaxing night at home. But Saturday was a different story! We successfully pulled off our first dinner party at our house!! I made Gayle's famous chicken spaghetti, and yummy brownies for dessert. Two other couples and two "singles" came, so it was quite the crowd! All eight of us piled around our tiny 4 person kitchen table...it was cozy but so much fun! We played games after we ate and laughed until midnight. We will definitely have to do that again!

We have another busy week ahead of us, but next Saturday we're heading up to Wales to go camping with some friends, so it will be worth the wait!

He's Home!

Chris finally made it home a little over a week ago after some slight changes to the original itinerary :) Though the changes were a little stressful, I'm so glad that everyone made it back safe and had a GREAT time doing some really good work. I put an emphasis on their "GREAT time" due to the extremely dark tan that Chris was sporting when he came home!! After he mentioned the words beach, jet skiing, & the pool...I stopped listening! If you haven't heard, we're still wearing sweatshirts over here in jolly ole', and we lovingly refer to our pasty white skin tone as our English tan! Needless to say, a very tan blond guy looks a little out of place :) So anyway, they had fun, did some really great flying from what I hear, and got to see some of the most amazing places that the world has to offer. We're still waiting on the pictures, but I'm sure that they will be just wonderful!

As soon as Chris returned we started looking for a fun place to go for a long weekend. We headed out early Saturday morning, and after a somewhat shaky ferry ride (don't ask!), we were on mainland Europe making our way to Amsterdam. We were both so glad that we decided to drive because the scenery over there is just breathtaking. We drove into Belgium and took some funny roadside pictures. (See above) There's nothing like two Americans trying to balance the the camera on the top of the car, running down the side of the highway trying to pose before the timer ran out, trying not to think about the trucks whizzing by at alarmingly fast speeds! I'm sure we got a lot of laughs, and probably a few head-shakes too...but it made us laugh for at least 5 min after we got back into the car, and that's all that counts...right!?!
We made it to Amsterdam and just took our time wandering around the city. We had a great dinner at a place called Cafe' November complete with white chocolate mousse'...what more could you ask for?! We sampled some Holland beer, enjoyed the scenery, and even ventured to the Red Light District just to say that we did it :) I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that we'll never return to that particular area again....I think Chris's exact words were "What is the fastest way out of this place?!" It was actually quite funny! The next day, we went to Anne Frank's house and did some more exploring before getting on the road to go to Brugge, Belgium.

Brugge is probably my favorite city so far. It is quaint and quiet, and the people are just so kind. We stayed in a little hotel about a 5 min. walk for the City Center. We spent the days wandering around, shopping, eating, and taking pictures. At night we found some great restaurants and got to experience the town completely aglow in the lights of night. It looked like something straight out of a book, we just loved it! It was the perfect way to spend a 4-day weekend and we treasured every moment of it.
Yesterday was the 4th of July (one of my favorite holidays) and we had a church picnic in the afternoon. We played volleyball, grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, played dominoes, and met lots of fun new people. We then went to Feltwell for the fireworks...well, we WERE going to see the fireworks; however, my choice of shoes (flip-flops) combined with the immense amount of rain that we have had lately, just didn't mix. So...we left before the fireworks started, but I'm sure that they were magnificent! All in all, we had a fantastic weekend and we can't wait for our next adventure!

A Whirlwind June!

I was so blessed to get the opportunity to visit 3 different countries this month, and even more excited to be able to experience them all with my mom! I've picked my favorite picture from each place that we explored...what a great June!

This is of the river that runs through Brugge, Belgium. It is said to be the "Venice" of Belgium :)

The waterfalls in the garden at Windsor Castle in England

Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Sailboats on Lake Windermere in the Lake District, England. This was one of the prettiest places that I have ever been!

Mom & Peter standing in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris!

Good Times!

While going through some pictures on our laptop today, I found this one of Chris and I on the night of my birthday bowling party...the one that Chris so lovingly planned! Since he's gone right now, on a "business trip", I'm always looking at pictures and remembering all the good times that we have together. He is always making me laugh, and I miss him so much when he is gone! I'm also excited that I finally learned how to put the picture into the blog...it was about to drive me crazy!
My mom and step-dad have been here in England visiting for awhile, and they leave on Sunday. It has been nice to have them here while Chris is gone...I'm not a big fan of a quiet house! The bad thing is that time always goes by so quickly when people visit, and it will certainly be sad to see them go. We have had such a fun time traveling, playing, taking pictures, and just catching up. Hopefully I'll get some more pictures downloaded to chronicle our journeys! Our dear friends Sylvia and Carol came out at the first part of my mom's trip and we traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland, and Bowness on Windermere in the Lake District. Those two places are, by far, the most gorgeous that I have ever seen. I am so looking forward to taking all of our future visitors out there to experience the beauty as well!

Blogging: Trial & Error

We've been here in England for almost 6 months now, and I still struggle with how to keep in touch with everyone back in America. With the time difference, and Chris's crazy schedule, it is really hard to make as many phone calls as I would like to...and I'm not too sure how many people want to hear my chipper voice at 3 in the morning! So...blogging it is, and we'll see how it goes!
I must start off by saying that we absolutely LOVE England! It was a little scary at first, and sad to leave our friends back in Goldsboro and our families in Texas, but after about a month we got settled and started to feel at home here! We have so enjoyed traveling around England, and we're looking forward to a summer of exploring Europe :) We've seen places that we have only dreamed about, and we are so thankful for the opportunity to travel the world together. Chris is loving his job (surprise, surprise!), and I just finished up substitute teaching at a school here, which I just adored! God has truly given us an abundance of blessings!
Well, it's getting quite late, so I must be going. I've discovered that the writing part of blogging is definitely easier than the decorating part! I've decided to quit obsessively tweaking the page for now...well, at least until tomorrow!
Cheers!