Happy Birthday Tom!

Yes, I am late on this one as well! Tom's b-day was a couple weeks ago and he got a little spoiled! I gave him a case of BBQ sauce, which may make you think...what a dumb present, but if you think that...then you need to get to know Tom better!!! ;) He served his mission in Oklahoma and while there he found this local BBQ sauce that he loved and since about July he has been bugging me to order some, so I finally gave in and ordered him some and I'll tell you that I have never seen someone so excited over BBQ sauce before! Hehe! I also gave him some movies! Then that weekend his parents took us bowling and to Market Street Grill to celebrate and we had alot of fun bowling and the food was great! After dinner we went to his parents for cake, ice cream, and presents. Well this is where he started to get spoiled!!! His family all pitched in and got him a Nintendo Wii, a 2nd controller, 2nd nun chuck, Mario Kart w/wheel included and an extra wheel for a 2nd player, and the game Wii Play! We have both had SOOO much fun with that! Tom LOVES it!!! Then a few days later we celebrated with my family and he got spoiled with money which he bought a game and some fun accessories for his new Wii and my sister gave him one of those sports packs that has the tennis racket, baseball bat, golf club, and steering wheel in it! Thanks guys for all the gifts!!!

Thanksgiving Weekend!

I know I am a little late...so I will keep it short! We had a great Thanksgiving! On Black Friday I went out with my sister and our 1st early morning stop was Target for a pink Dyson Vacuum! Our vacuum broke a couple weeks before, so we were in the market for one and we really wanted a Dyson because of their reputation. So when we saw the great deal we just had to get it for ourselves for Christmas, so we did! I was 4th in the door and 1st to the vacuum!!! I was so proud and we even stopped to get a picture of me getting it!!! Since our vacuum was broken and we both knew about the new one, we got an early Christmas gift. And can I just say that I LOVE it!!! I've never seen a vacuum with SO much suction!!! My mom also donated to the vacuum as part of our Christmas! Thanks mom!!!

Twilight!!!

So...there aren't as many pics as I'd hoped for...but for one thing I wasn't feeling very well, probably should've stayed home....but just couldn't miss it! And also I felt kinda silly taking pictures of these goons that were in prom dresses and dressed up to the extreme! But let's just say that there were girls in prom dresses and vampire garb ALL over the place and the entire theater was hoppin! We were at The District and all 20 of their theaters were COMPLETELY sold out for the midnight showing, the lady that had reserved the theater I was in had even over sold her tickets and gave up her own seat for someone else! The movie did not disappoint either...it followed the book SO well! The only complaint I have is that they had to cram the whole book into just 2 hours! That movie could have easily gone on for 4 hours or more and I would've sat there through the entire thing perfectly content! In the movie I didn't feel like Edward and Bella's relationship really had time to develop the way it did in the book, but other than that I was very content with the way the movie turned out!!! If you still haven't read the books...I HIGHLY recommend that you wake up and get with the program! ;) Once you start reading you will wish you had done it sooner!

I made it myself!!!

So this is what I will be wearing not only to the Twilight midnight showing tomorrow...but ALL day! I made it myself because they want $30+ in the stores for them and they are made out of SUPER thin material...I think NOT!!! More pics to come of the party and the madhouse I will be a part of tomorrow!!!

P.S. The bottom it says, "When you can live forever, what do you live for?"

OUCH!!!

So last night...Sat night we were at my parents house watching Kung Fu Panda when all of a sudden the power flickered on and off really fast and it sounded like something blew up in the backyard....luckily nothing did, but we were curious and confused...within minutes we heard sirens REALLY close by...just then my grandma, who lives like 2 blocks aways and had heard the loud BOOM had called and said that she heard that a power transformer on a nearby street had blown and was on fire. So being the adventure seekers that we are, my mom, brother, tom, & I decided to go see what happened! When we got to the street that my grandma had told us this happened on...nothing was there, so we went a little farther and ended up on the street of the local junior high....where we found flashing lights and the obvious scene of the mysterious BOOM! We parked in the parking lot and walked over to where everything was happening. It was dark, because it was night AND the power in that area was still out, so it was kind of hard to see anything, but we did see a SUV that was sideways on the road and pretty smashed up. Then across the street we see this.....(I didn't have my camera, and it was too dark to take a pic with our cell phones, so I got this on the Internet and saved it in paint and erased the bottom half to give you an idea what I was talking about). We then talked to some fellow adventure seekers and found out the story! A teenage girl had been driving north on 700 West and she was making a left turn and instead of hitting the brake, she hit the gas and ran into a wooden power pole and completely taken out the bottom half, so that the top half that is connected to the power lines was hanging about 8 ft or so off the ground and the bottom half was stuck under the girls car. Well of course that caused the power lines to be hanging and out of place and the transformer had blown and of course caused the power to go out and sparks were flying everywhere! It was one of the craziest accidents I've ever seen! We found out that the girl was ok...pretty shaken up, but I don't think she was hurt and if she was, it wasn't anything too serious! Moral of the story.....drive safe and pay attention to which pedal is the gas and which is the brake! Always drive safe and GOOD NIGHT!!!!!

SNOW!!!

I love snow! I don’t necessarily enjoy driving in it (other drivers worry me more than anything), but I love the look of fresh fallen snow! As a kid I HATED it when someone walked on or somehow ruined the perfect blanket of snow on our front lawn! Weird thing for a kid to worry about…but I never said I was normal! The backyard was fine to mess up and play in…however the front yard should look pretty! Of course there was nothing I could do to keep people or animals off of the lawn, but until someone ruined it, I enjoyed having a pretty front yard! And when the snow is actually falling from the sky the outdoors are just SO peaceful! I love to be outside when it is snowing (I just don’t like how it makes my hair go poofy! :( A lot of people don’t like the snow, mainly because if it snows, then it must be pretty cold outside…not me, I LOVE to be cold, ask anyone that has been to my house!!! Most people need a jacket or blanket at our house…even in the dead of the summer! It may sound odd…but trust me I would rather be cold than hot ANY day! Just try and argue with me! I dare you!!! ;)

Pumpkin Contest!

My pumpkin featured in the previous post won 2nd place out of our entire building which was at least 20 pumpkins!!! WAHOO for me!!!! I'll see if anyone got a pic of the 1st place pumpkin b4 it fell apart!!! It was AMAZING!!! I am very proud to have won 2nd place after that awesome creation!!!!

Pumpkin!

So for Halloween at work each unit that wants to participate can enter a drawing for decorated pumpkins! I kinda got volunteered to do so, why they thought I would be best...I dunno! But I rose to the challenge and did my best and decided to turn my pumpkin into Cinderella's carriage! Thanks to Tom's parents I found the perfect pumpkin for this in their pumpkin patch! I know it's not great...but it took alot of time and I am kinda proud of it and wanted to share! You kinda can't tell in the pics, but I finished it off with some glitter spray that definitely made it cuter!

99 Things!

So this is a tag. No one tagged me, I just saw it on a friends blog and wanted to do it so here it goes. This one is called "99 Things", and you're supposed to bold(or change the color, mine are in red!) all the things you've done. I tag whoever wants to do it!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii - not yet, but am going there for Christmas
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning -worst experience of my life!!!
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty - when I went it was only a few months after 9/11 and they weren't letting ppl to the top anymore, I don't know if they have started letting you again, but I don't think so!
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France - so close...we saw The Louvre, but we didn't have time to go in! :( I have ALWAYS wanted to see the Mona Lisa...guess Tom will have to take me back some day! ;)
20. Slept on an overnight train - I've slept on a train, but not overnight!
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run - YEAH RIGHT! I can't hit the broad side of a barn!
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors - a couple of them, but not all
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person - so close again...it was about an hour and a 1/2 drive off of our route to Switzerland! always wanted to see it though!
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving - a goal of mine
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check- long time ago
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar - NEVER
72. Pieced a quilt-with help
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury - want to
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake - EWWW
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

London, England!

London, England!

FINALLY, I have come around to posting about our last city to visit....London! We took a train from Paris into London and when we arrived in London we got to our hotel and checked in! It was late afternoon, so we kinda had a free night, so we went to our rooms to get settled in and Shannon, Richelle, & I decided to go explore. We wanted to go shop so we walked FOREVER and got a little shopping done, but we were going to "Wicked" that evening and had to head back soon so we could get ready. We took a cab to the theater and took our seats and soon the show started! We had the option to do an optional excursion through our group to see Phantom or Les Mis and we had all seen both at least once, so we opted to go on our own, and enjoyed "Wicked", I highly recommend it!!! The show got over and we were all exhausted and starving so we went across the street to a pub and ate our dinner 1/2 asleep! Kinda funny! So after dinner we took a cab back to our hotel and went right to bed. The next morning we joined up a local guide and visited Buckingham Palace for the changing of the Guards, St Pauls Cathedral, and we saw Big Ben & the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey(just drove by on this day). Then later that afternoon we went on a tour of The Tower of London and we got to see the Crown Jewels, we couldn't take pics of the jewels, but they were cool! So funny thing happened here. It was after our tour and I think we were waiting for our coach to come back to pick us up, so we were just kinda chillin in a common area and I got into a conversation with one of the ladies in our group who is from Brooklyn, NY. Now remember these are people that we had been with for 11 days, so we had a pretty good feel for everyone. Anyways she was asking me about myself and my sisters(in-laws) and wondering if any of us had kids and I told her that Richelle and Stacey had kids and she already knew that Shannon was our mom, and that we were from Utah. She must have also known or assumed that were were "Mormon" because she then said something along the lines (I can't remember the exact words she used) that we were all "sister-wives"!!!! She thought we were polygamists and were all married to the same guy!!!! Oh my heck I wanted to laugh so hard, but I kept my cool and explained to her that no we weren't all married to the same guy and only 2 of us were really Shannons daughters and the other 2 of us were her daughter-in-laws! I also clarified that LDS members don't practice polygamy and haven't for a very long time and that really confused her cause she had heard of all the FLDS stuff that goes on and she assumed we were all one happy family! How funny! Anyways so later that night we went on a river cruise on the river Thames and went for dinner after. This was the last night of the trip with our tour, so alot of our traveling party were heading to the airport early the next morning! This is when we got on a train and went to Scotland for a night, so when we got back to London after Scotland it was kind of late and we were exhausted so most of us went to bed without dinner. The next morning we headed out pretty early so we had time to get everything we still wanted to do done! We went to a flea market, we went to Westminster Abbey and got to go in and tour it, and we went on a thing called the London Eye! It is a giant Ferris wheel type "ride" that has I think 30 glass "capsules" that can each hold like 25 people! It goes very slow and doesn't stop for loading or unloading, you can see pretty much all of London from up there and that was really neat. We spent the rest of the evening having dinner and just hanging out in London. The next day was our last day and it was going to be VERY long and let me just tell you now! It was a CRAZY day! Since we were no longer with our Globus tour, we had booked a day tour with a local company called Golden Tours and I recommend that if you ever go to London and want to book a tour through a company DO NOT use these people!!! VERY bad customer service and just all around bad experience! The tour was for Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and the Roman Baths in the nearby town Bath! Well it was supposed to include lunch cause that is what we had paid for. And they were supposed to pick us up in our hotel lobby at like 730 in the morning, well they were almost 45 minutes late and after they finally got there we were immediately yelled at because the grumpy little guy that came for us was asking for people for a tour from a completely different company, so we stayed put. Then he was asking again because he didn't have as many people respond as he was told to pick up, so we nicely clarified with him what company he was with and he was very rude and told us that we should have been listening! RUDE!! Then we get on the bus and it reeks of smoke so we were kinda bummed cause we thought this was our bus for the day, were we wrong...we stopped at what seemed like a million other places and picked up more people. By the time we were done picking people up, it was at least an hour later and the bus was full to the brim! Only then did our grumpy little man inform us that he wasn't going to be our guide...thank goodness! But we were headed back to the companies headquarters to meet up with a bunch of other people that had been picked up all over town! We got in our designated line and were assigned our real tour bus for the day and luckily it didn't smell like smoke, so we were looking forward to a nice enjoyable day! Again we were wrong! Our real guide joins us and tells us that because of the summer solstice, Stonehenge was full of hippies! Oh and our lunch that we paid for had been cancelled! UMMM O...K!!! Anyways this guy took us to Windsor Castle and told us that when the tour was over we were going to have a QUICK chance to grab a bite to eat...so we assumed that this meant lunchtime because our lunch had been cancelled and when we finished with Windsor Castle it was going to be around 11 or 1130. So we were COMPLETELY and ridiculously rushed through the castle and he wouldn't even let us use the audio guide because he told us we just didn't have time for that! So needless to say, yes I have been to the Windsor Castle...but I don't remember much!!! I do remember that the Queen was there...they fly HER flag when she is there and we saw her car getting ready to pick her up around back where tourists aren't allowed! So we make it to the spot for our QUICK bite and the line is way long because there are lots of us and many other people. Our insane guide is up at the front barking orders at the workers telling them to hurry or he'll have them fired, so Richelle, Stacey, and I had made it through the line and were outside literally shoving our food down our throats since we weren't allowed to have food on the bus and our guide had made it VERY clear that he wouldn't wait for ANYONE!!! So while we were standing there he comes out and says "let's go", he was off before we could tell him that we still had 2 people in line, so we decided that one of us should go with him so if he DID leave that person could get all our stuff off the bus! I volunteered and when we got back down to the bus parking he let us make a quick stop to the restroom. When I came out 2 minutes later, I didn't see the rest of my family and I wasn't sure if they had been right behind us and had gone straight to the bus. So I went to the bus and they were not there, he asked me where they were I told him that they should be right behind us so he was a little annoyed, but agreed to wait. We waited and waited and waited and there was still no sign of them...in the meantime he was barking at me as to why they weren't there yet...I told him that they must have gotten lost because they should have been right behind us...I didn't dare leave the bus area, cause I didn't want to miss them and then for ME to be the one that was lost. I told this angry man that if he needed to leave us then to PLEASE go ahead...he then goes to the storage bins under the bus and removes his bicycle and carries it up the stairs and starts riding it around looking for them...only a couple of minutes later did I see my family being "herded" by this animal on a bike down the stairs. So they get to the bus and we get on after apologizing and explaining that they had been misdirected and couldn't find their way to the parking lot. As the bus is pulling out he gets on the microphone in front of the ENTIRE bus and totally humiliates us by saying how rude we are and how we swore at him and how he should kick us off his bus right that minute, but he was too nice to do that!!!! RIGHT!!! He continued to treat us like crap the rest of the day! The next stop was supposed to be Stonehenge, but because the hippies were still there we went to Bath 1st in stead! Seeing the Roman Baths was neat...but we certainly were not about to be late again so we got back to the meeting spot about 15 minutes early! Then when the "mad hatter", as we like to call him, gets there he has flames coming out his ears cause our driver is 1 minute late in picking us up! The driver had hit some traffic and had a hard time getting back to us since they aren't allowed to hang around the drop off zone so while we waited "mad hatter" was immediately on the phone with headquarters telling them that he wanted this driver fired and how time is money and just going off about how ticked he is that he has to wait! The driver makes it to us, ONLY like 10 minutes late total and "mad hatter" tells him he is mad, but acts all friendly to him! Anyways Stonehenge ended up being cancelled all together so he takes us to some place that he claims is 10x better than Stonehenge anyways and it was AWFUL! It was basically the Stonehenge "hippy" overflow, so everyone there is high as a kite and completely drunk and flat out scary! Total waste of time! It was late when we got back in town and there were a # of drop offs and when we got off we didn't tip him (which is customary), because of the way he had treated us, but we did tip the driver...this set the "mad hatter" off! He grabbed Stacey's arm and screamed in her face, we were all completely appalled and angry! So I was the last one off the bus and I got back in his face and told him what was up! As we walked away, he was still yelling at us!!! WHAT a JERK!!! The next morning we got up early and headed to the airport, we had a connection in New York, we made it there, went through customs and we had to claim our luggage and recheck it since we were coming in from another country. We kept seeing this bag that was in pretty BAD shape go around and around and kept wondering what poor soul owned that bag! We all claimed our luggage....except Laurel...we kept waiting and it never came, well finally she caught a glimpse of the tag on the mangled bag that was still going around and it was HERS!!! You should have seen her poor suitcase!!! She had purchased a clock in Switzerland, it kinda looked like my cuckoo clock, but it was smaller and was just a clock, not a cuckoo one...well it was it a million pieces and the Swiss watch she had bought her hubby, Justin was ruined as well! Because NY wasn't our final destination they wouldn't do anything about it! They gave us some tape to hold it together until we got to SLC! So the layover in NY was supposed to be like 3 hours and right before we were supposed to board it was delayed a 1/2 hour, then it was delayed again! Finally we boarded and then we sat on the flippin runway FOREVER! I was having a rough time cause I had NO leg room, my back hurt, I was tired, and I was ready to be home! At the end of the day we were supposed to get home at like 6 pm and it was about 1030 pm when we finally landed! And that is local SLC time...for us we were still on London time which is 7 hours ahead...so it was 530 am the next day and we had officially been up for over 24 hours! We were greeted by our cute husband and we all went home! All in all it was an AWESOME trip and I am very grateful for the opportunity that I had to go and spend time with my female in laws!!! Thanks again to Shannon and Grant for that experience of a lifetime!!! I love you guys!!! ;)

Edinburgh, Scotland!

Edinburgh, Scotland!

Ok, so I know it has been forever since my last post, sorry about that! So I still have 2 more cities from my Europe trip to post about! It may seem pointless at this point since I've been home for 3 months now....but I wouldn't want to leave them out. The last city I posted about was Paris, after Paris the tour went to London for 2 days then after the guided tour was over, Shannon (my mother-in-law) took us to Edinburgh, Scotland for a night and then we went back to London to play on our own for a few days....ALOT happened in London, so I have decided to save that for last and go ahead and talk about Scotland! So when you think of Scotland what comes to mind? Most likely you think of bagpipes and men in plaid skirts (kilts), that is what always comes to mind for me when I think of Scotland, well since my visit a new thing comes to mind also...castles! So we took the train from London to Edinburgh and when we were pulling into town we immediately saw castles everywhere! The building that weren't castles were so beautiful that they could have been!!! So we were completely in awe upon exiting the station, so as we looked around and were trying to figure out if our hotel was close enough to walk to or if we needed a cab.......we hear bagpipes!!!! No kidding within 5 minutes of our arrival we heard bagpipes, it almost sounded like they were being played over a citywide loud speaker at first. We walked around a little and there, across the street from the station is a Scottish man playing his bagpipe for the people...and what is he wearing other than a true Scottish kilt! Welcome to Scotland, right?!!! I was SO excited, I mean how cool is that? Scotland has ALWAYS been a country that I country on my wish list to visit and here I am standing here, fresh off the train, and watching a Scottish man dressed in the traditional Scottish garb, playing the bagpipes for me!!! So anyways, there was this park area right there so we kinda wandered around a bit(we only brought overnight bags since we were only there for a night and we left the rest of our stuff with the concierge back in London) then I went and found a cab to ask a driver if he knew how far away our hotel was, he said it was walking distance and under a mile, but then he made it sound like it was clear on the other side of town, so after returning to my comrades and relaying the info we opted for a cab ride since we didn't want to end up lost! Good thing we did, the hotel REALLY was on the other side of town, WAY more than a mile. So we were too early for check in, so we left out bags with the front desk and went off to explore! We ended up at the Edinburgh Castle for a tour, of course since it is a castle and the queen lives there sometimes when in Scotland, it is beautiful! It is also HUGE! While we were there they were having a press conference for the Edinburgh Film Festival that just happened to be going on and we learned that Keira Knightly and Sienna Miller were 2 of the MANY celebrities there! Unfortunately we didn't get to see them, but we saw many cars driving away with very dark windows and you can bet that these cars carried celebs! After the castle we decided to walk around, shop a little and get dinner before going back to the hotel early since we were getting up early the next morning to explore lots more and hop on our evening train back to London! We get back to our hotel and check in and they inform us that our room is across the street! Weird, but ok, so we get to our rooms and they are really neat. The hotel is in a VERY old renovated building, needless to say it kinda felt like we were in a castle for the night the way the rooms looked. So because the building is so old, there is no A/C, being the REALLY hot blooded person that I am, this causes a problem, so I called and asked for a fan to be sent over, they assured me it would be there withing 20 minutes! I never got it! I had a rough night since I was SO hot, but oh well, I'm in Scotland! Make the best of it, right! The next day we got up early and went to the Royal Yacht Britannia, which is the yacht that the Royal family used to travel until they retired it in 1999. Very cool to see! Next we went to the Palace of Holyroodhouse (not a misspelling), which we were told is the Queens preferred place of residence when in Scotland! Apparently the Queen holds a huge party there every year during the first week of July, well we were there the end of June, so we saw all the giant white tents that they were setting up for the event! We explored a little more then got back on our train to go back to London, since it is a 4 hour ride we got back pretty late and we EXHAUSTED, but we had a VERY early morning the next day! Scotland was a very neat place to visit and I definitely want to go back some day to have more time to explore! Visit if you get the chance!

Paris, France!

Paris, France!

The next stop was Paris! Ah, beautiful Paris!!! We got there in the late afternoon and had a little time to rest before dinner, after dinner we went on an "Illumination Drive" to see the city lit up at night. Paris is GORGEOUS at night of course we went to the Eiffel Tower and we have all seen pictures of the Eiffel Tower lit up, but let me just tell you that pictures do it NO justice...and to make it better @ 11 every night they do a little light show where they have these white lights sparkling...SO pretty, here see for yourself in this video clip...

The next day we saw Paris' most famous sites: the Opera, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, Notre Dame Cathedral, The Louvre, Palace of Versailles, and we also went through the tunnel where Princess Diana was killed. They have the column that the crash happened at marked and we tried to get pictures, but it was dark and we were in a fast moving bus so they didn't turn out...but outside of the tunnel they have a giant torch that was there before the crash, but since then has kind of become a memorial to Princess Diana, they have fresh flowers around it most of the time and we also saw the restaurant/hotel that she had just left when she was chased into the tunnel. Paris is full of history, just like all of Europe, but Paris, London, and Edinburgh had lots of fascinating history about all the Kings and Queens which was fun to learn about and also when we went through the castles and palaces we were able to see where they lived and slept and that was absolutely amazing! More to come on the awesome history in London & Edinburgh!

Beautiful Switzerland!!!!!!

Switzerland!!!!

I wish that I could have stayed in Switzerland ALOT longer than we did...it is SO beautiful and clean! Also the atmosphere is just AWESOME! The city we stayed in is Lucerne, to get there we drove through the Swiss Alps and took St Gotthards Pass which is 6,935 ft high! WOW! We passed Lake Como where George Clooney owns a villa! Then we stopped for about an hour in a beautiful city called Lugano. Then back on the coach for the remainder of our journey into Lucerne. Once we got to Lucerne we started sightseeing right away, we went and visited the Lion Monument, which is a memorial for fallen Swiss Soldiers! That night we went to a Swiss Folklore Party where we probably had one of our 1st good meals on this trip! Funny story about dinner, they started us off with some cheese fondue...really tasty. We ate some, then but were thinking we were gonna have it on our table throughout the entire meal and the fabulous entertainment! Well all of a sudden someone, not our waitress comes and tries to clear our fondue...so we ask to keep it a little longer, they give us a funny look and walk away. So then a few minutes pass by and another waitress comes and tries to clear our fondue again, once again we ask to keep it longer, and they walk away. A few more minutes pass and lo and behold yet ANOTHER waiter comes by where of course we ask if we can still keep it! Well this guy didn't quite get that all we wanted to do is keep it at our table longer, so he YELLS at us in broken English of course, "NO YOU CANNOT KEEP IT, IT IS FORBIDDEN, NOT A SOUVENIR!!!" Needless to say, we didn't get to keep our fondue, but we sure did get a laugh out of it!!! So for the rest of the evening we enjoyed some very cool yodeling,

alphorn blowing,

a broom being used as a musical instrument,

and many other really neat local instruments. Oh and I must tell you that this Swiss Folklore party was an "optional excursion" offered by our tour company, and when I read in my little itinerary booklet that this was an option...I was EXTREMELY excited, but to my dismay, I was the ONLY one that was excited :( HOWEVER, everyone else decided, WHY NOT!!! YAY!!! And let's just say that everyone is STILL talking about how much fun we had that night and how cool the entertainment was!!! Good call Monica!!!! WOOOO! The next day we went up Mt Pilatus, the top is 7,000 ft high, we got there via the world's steepest cogwheel railway (48 degree inclination). Unfortunately the weather that day was rainy and foggy and of course the higher we got the foggier it was, so we didn't get to see the awesome views for what they were, but trust me, we still got the feel for how high we were and it was still an experience. At the top we had some yummy authentic Swiss hot chocolate and then we too a gondola back down the mountain! The rest of the day was our to do whatever we wanted, bet you can't guess what we did? We shopped until we dropped!!! Ever since I was a little girl and my parents friends brought them back a cuckoo clock from Germany, I have always wanted one of my own...so since we weren't going to Germany, Switzerland is the next best place to get one!!! I was SO excited I just couldn't stand it, but these things aren't cheap so for the amount of money that I was spending I wasn't just gonna buy the 1st one that I saw...so we looked and looked and looked some more for just the right cuckoo clock @ the right price! We walked up and down the streets of Lucerne like 3 times and visited the same stores 2-3 times comparing and deciding! I felt bad to drag everyone around like that, but they were shopping in the meantime too and they were SO patient and helpful with me while I was on my hunt! Thanks guys for being so awesome, I really appreciate it! So finally I found it...THE ONE! Well ok the 2nd...cause the one that I REALLY wanted was SUPER expensive and I mean like RIDICULOUSLY expensive, so I compromised and got the 2nd best! Plus this one has a little bit more of a manly touch to it so that Tom will like it! The little birdie cuckoos on the hour and 1/2 hour and while he cuckoos the little wood chopper guy chops wood, then the people dance to Edelweiss and some other song and while they do that the water wheel moves! Really cute!

Oh the memories!!!

1. Add a comment on my blog. Leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Lava Hot Springs, ID

Ok so I don't know if any of you have been to Lava Hot Springs, ID, but it is alot of fun! We went there on Sat with a couple of friends and we had a blast! For those of you that don't know about Lava...they are outdoor mineral hot pools that range from approximately 102˚ to 112˚ degrees. It is VERY relaxing and lots of fun. Plus they have an outdoor olympic pool with 33 ft high diving towers and 2 water slides! For more information on Lava Hot Springs visit http://www.lavahotsprings.com/. Well we try to go to the hot pools 2-4 times a year(they are open 363 days a year) and the outdoor pools at least once. Tom loves to show off on the diving towers and boards and he is feeling left out on this blog since all I've blogged about so far is my European vacation that he didn't get to go on! So I am including pics and video of Lava! We went with our friends Jason & Tami! Enjoy!

Tom & Jason jumping off the top platform!

Tom doing a back flip off the high dive!

Tom doing a front flip!

My cutie in the pool!

Tom + I at the pool!

Jason being a goof and blocking our pic!

Tami & Jason

The boys being silly!

Tom's pocket on his swimsuit fell right off after doing the platforms & diving boards!! HeHe!

Tom @ dinner with his boot shaped glass!

Tom & I in the hot pools!

Tom & I in Lava!

Venice, Italy

Venice, Italy

Here we are on to Venice! We had fun in Venice, it is very pretty and clean, including the air because they don't have cars on the island...only boats!!! Venice is mostly a place to go and relax and enjoy the scenery...we went to/saw St Mark's Square, the Clock Tower, Doges' Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs. We also got to watch an awesome glassblowing demo!!! I could kick myself now for not taking pics because it was SOO cool, but I was too busy watching the guy show us how it is done(he did it all VERY fast), that I didn't even get a chance to think of taking a picture until it was over....if any of my fellow travellers happened to get a pic I will share, until then you will have to imagine it in your mind!!! We also got to go on a cool gondola ride, that was fun and the highlight of Venice for me....Venice was SO beautiful and EXACTLY what we all imagined it to be...I would like to go back there someday for sure! Stay tuned...next up is the exciting and never dull Switzerland!!!!

Florence, Italy

Florence, Italy

Our second stop on our Essential Europe tour was Florence, Italy and I'm not going to lie...this was probably my least favorite place. There just isn't a whole lot to do or see here. Of course the highlight was going to the Academy of Fine Arts and admiring Michelangelo's statue David. Did you know that this David is the David and Goliath David? I knew that, cause I learned it in an Art class in High School, but apparently ALOT of people don't know this fact. And in one hand he holds a rock and in the other a slingshot!! Kinda cool right? So this statue was amazing...unreal in person!!! HUGE!!! Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pics inside...but have no fear...they had much smaller replicas of this statue outside...and I came to the rescue and snapped a shot! You are welcome!!! So look for the pic in my Florence slide show...coming soon to a blog near you! jk! Ok so speaking of naked statues...we saw ALOT of naked statues in Europe...they we EVERYWHERE!!! It sure is a different world over there! Anywho back to Florence and what we saw/visited there. The "Magnificent" Cathedral, Giotto's Bell Tower, the Baptistry's heavy bronze "Gates of Paradise", and Signoria Square. For those of you that don't know...Florence is mostly "famous" for their fine leather goods and gold jewelry and after our little guided tour we were delighted to spend time in a shop specializing in each of these for a little demo and in the leather shop they had my sister in law, Laurel be a model for a fine leather jacket!!! She was SOOOO happy to oblige!!!! ;) We also found some REALLY cute purses!!! They were made out of leather...but they were KNOCK OFFS of Chanel and other BIG name brands and the designer was asking anywhere from the equivalent of 140-600 US dollars...and I am sorry...but that is just not worth it for a KNOCK OFF! Of course the one that I fell in love with was pink...and the most expensive one, I tried talking him down but only got him to like $400 US dollars...still WAY too much especially since I already knew that I would be making a BIG purchase in Switzerland (find out more about that in my Switzerland post...soon to come!!!) So needless to say I left Florence without my gorgeous pink bag!!!! BUT once again my awesome mother in law came to the rescue and for my birthday she found me an even cuter leather purse right here in our home town!!!! Imagine that!!! I'll have to get a pic of it on here...SO cute! Next up is Venice, Italy!

Rome, Italy

Rome, Italy

So we started our adventure in Rome, Italy. We were there for 2 nights, we saw alot, but I'm sure there was alot more we could have seen. Rome is a very old city with LOTS of history! I don't remember most of the history and I'm not ambitious enough to look it all up, so if you wanna know more about anything mentioned, you are on your own to research it! lol sorry! So things we saw/visited in Rome: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St Peters Square, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Spanish Steps, Via Condotti, Piazza Navona, Parliament, & Pantheon! We also ran into Tom Hanks and Ron Howard while they were filming Angels & Demons! We weren't supposed to take pics, but I turned my flash off and snapped every chance I got...only got one decent pics where you can only see Mr. Hanks profile, but you can tell it is him and you can see Ron Howard's face!!!

Europe!

I recently got back from a FABULOUS vacation in Europe, courtesy of my wonderful mother in law! It was her, myself, and my 3 sister in laws for 2 whole weeks!! We had such a blast and I feel like we really bonded and got to know each other better on a different level. Our trip consisted of Rome, Italy; Florence, Italy; Venice, Italy; Lucerne, Switzerland; Paris, France; London, England; & Edinburgh, Scotland! My absolute favorite place was Switzerland...it is SO pretty and very clean and just an all around fun environment! Venice was awesome as well being that it is built entirely on water, which means there are NO cars! It also was very pretty and just a fun place to be. I will be providing more pics soon!