Catching up Part 3 - September 2012 (Paris!)

In September we had the pleasure of going on a weekend adventure to Paris with our friends Janna Wutke and Kevin Duban. We were nervous because it was our first time in France and we heard some dreadful things about how Parisians are rude to you if you don't speak French (which we don't!).

Fortunately we only had one rude waiter at a restaurant we ate at and the rest of the people we interacted with were very pleasant.

Here are some of the highlights of the trip:

Right away we walked from Gare du Nord to Sacré Coeur in Montmartre. It provides a spectacular view of Paris but also many peddlers and beggars (beware!).

The Eiffel Tower was my favorite part. It exceeded my expectations and was very romantic when the flashing lights came on after sunset.

The Gang at the top of the Eiffel Tower

We rode bicycles around the city to get places faster and it was the best decision we made! We only stayed one night so we toted our belongings in a backpack and toured the city on two wheels. It was very efficient and we saw a lot more in one day than we would have if we had walked. Our feet thanked us. :)

Nutella Crêpes and cappuccino at a café... mmmmm

The Jardin Tuileries was lovely. The old men who sit near the ponds and fountains to rent our sailboats for the children were so charming. It was a lovely day and the only thing I wish I would have heard was an accordion playing "La Vie en Rose" in the streets."

The whole time we were here I kept thinking of Sabrina saying "I found myself in Paris."

fin :)

Catching up Part 2 - July & August 2012 (Olympics!)

Just in case you were not aware... Summer 2012 in the UK was HUGE. We are incredibly blessed to have experienced it first-hand. As you know, the Diamond Jubilee took place for Queen Elizabeth's 60th year reigning as Queen of the United Kingdom. In addition to that, London hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics and we got to go to several events! You would think "Wow, how amazing! How could it get any better than that?" Well, I shall tell you. We actually got to see our dear friend Angela compete in the Sprint Kayaking races, see her qualify for finals, and become fifth in the whole world!

I have some photo documentation to prove we had an amazing time. :)

London Bridge helped the city get into the Olympic Spirit

Artistic Gymnastics! We saw the following teams compete to go to finals: Romania, Japan, and several Mixed Single groups.

A dream come true! All that was missing was my sister Rachel. We have many
childhood memories following the USA Gymnastics Team!

The Romanian Team - they ended up taking bronze in the team final

We got to see Susan Izbaşa from Romania. She ended up taking gold in singles vault!

There is always something going on during a meet!

 Sprint Kayaking at Eton-Dorney Lake:

Honorary Brits when it comes to cheering for Angela! GO TEAM GB!

  

Dorney Lake

Angela is the third girl in the boat

A roaring start!

Angela came in her full closing ceremony kit to speak at a church gathering in September (celebrity sighting!)

Bryant went to Judo with Callum (Angela's hubby). He had to do some research on the sport to learn what he was watching. Judo isn't something we know much about! :)

Front Row Seats!

Catching up Part 1 - June 2012

If you've been following our blog over the past year and a half you may have noticed a period of ... hibernation. Ever since Bryant started studying for his MBA full time I hardly had time to use the computer and when he had breaks I had completely lost my momentum of logging our adventures.

I had been thinking about starting up again recently and when I spoke to my friend Betsy on the phone the other day I was convicted to finally start up again.

I thought I would start where I left off: June 2012!

After we had the pleasure of watching the Queen parade down the Thames on the Flotilla, Bryant and I took the plunge and added to our family. We got a dog!

Meet Charlie Boy:

This is Charlie and me on my birthday

Charlie is a retired racer and we are his third home after racing (and hopefully last!). The family who had him before were starting up a bakery and couldn't keep him any more. They gave him, and all of his belongings, to us for free! It was truly a dream come true for me.

Charlie Boy is 7 years old, as of January 2013, and he is such a sweetheart. He lounges on the couch as though it's his career. In fact, he is sprawled out over the entire thing as I type. I usually have to kick him off in order to make room for me to sit. Then we do lots of cuddling together. :)

I may tell you more about Charlie another day but here is another picture of him just because. I take more pictures of his lazy little face than anything else.

I love him!