Paris Day 6: Put on Your Walking Shoes Once More

On day six of our vacation we put on our walking shoes and took to the streets of Paris and saw as many sights as we could pack into the day. We checked out of the hotel, but as with many hotels you can store your luggage for the day so you can still tour the sights. Many of the museums and points of interest will have bag checks, but with all the metro rides and miles walking it was faster keeping our bags at our hotel. Since we were staying in the Bastille neighborhood we past by this tower many times a day marking the Place de la Bastille. The Colonne de Juillet (July Column) marks the spot of Bastille, a fortress (built to protect France from England during the Hundred Years' War) later turned prison. The Bastille was home to more then just the French, but also was a headquarters of sort for other conquering countries of the time including England and Burgundy. Originally other monuments were to be erected at this square as early as 1792, but with the constant changes and revolutions the final monument wasn't completed until 1840.

We turned to Rick Steves once more and his downloadable app for the iPhone and listened to the many city walks for Paris in order to see the sights on our last day. We started with doing the Marais Walk right at Place de la Bastille. We enjoyed the architecture of the buildings, the unique shops, and watching the people of the streets go about their daily lives. 

European Travels: Day 5 Eiffel Tower and Versailles

On day 5 we made big plans to knock out two big attractions, the Eiffel Tower and taking the train out to the town of Versailles and touring the sprawling Château that was home to the French Monarch. We may have worn our shoes out with all the miles we put on that day, but it was well worth the venture outside the city to see such a beautiful and historic landmark.

Once again we made sure to follow Rick Steves' suggestion in his book about getting to the Eiffel Tower early to avoid the long lines. I think regardless of what time you get to the park, there will be a line, just make sure to grab a coffee and a pastry while you wait.

A Little Distraction From the Real World: Continuing Our European Vacation Day 4

As the country faces struggles over the government shutdown and the uncertainty of whether those we elected can ever agree, I think it is time to get another post up about our wonderful trip we took this summer to Europe. It could be I just wish we were back on vacation, and not worrying what services will be closing and whether or not we will have money come pay day...I know military members will get paid come this pay day, but it is just a band aid for a much larger looming problem. So lets have some fun happy pictures and experiences from this summer.

So early in the morning we headed out of London leaving from Kings Crossing via the EuroStar (aka the Chunnel). It really wasn't a long trip, a little ear popping from time to time, and we were out of the Chunnel and cruising through the French countryside. Once arriving in Paris we swapped out our money, bought the Paris Museum Pass, and jumped onto the metro and quickly found our hotel (Hotel Bastille Speria, once again picked out of the Rick Steves' Travel Guide "Paris") in the Marais District. After dropping off our belongings at the very comfortable and ideally located hotel we ate lunch at one of the many cafes in the neighborhood. We tried risotto for the first time before heading for the metro once again for some time at the Louvre. Buckle your seat belt for another overload of pictures...almost all of it artwork.

London Photo Bomb Day 3

Sorry for the delay, going through pictures, souvenirs, and guide books is more time consuming then I thought. I really want to make sure to document this wonderful experience, but I really thought recapping would be easier then this...I really want to try to remember all the fun and unique experiences that we had.

We parted our friends house outside of London with all our luggage and made our way to the hotel for the night on day 3. We would be leaving early the 4th day on the Eurostar and stayed close to the terminal since we had pre-purchased our transportation to Paris. Most hotels in Europe allow you to check in and leave your baggage in a storage area until your room is vacant and cleaned so it made touring much easier. We relied on our Rick Steve's London handbook when picking out our hotels for most of the trip and he never failed in providing a comfortable, clean, and air conditioned room. This time we stayed at The Sumner Hotel, close to the Marble Arch and several tube stations.

We stayed in a district of London that is now predominately occupied with Middle Eastern Muslim families and businesses. We had been recommended a place for lunch, but we failed to realize that it was Ramadan and they were closed, however, the restaurant across the street was open and serving the tourists...I did feel bad about eating though, knowing that they weren't able to. The hotel was just a couple blocks from the Marble Arch, a ceremonial arch that originally was located by Buckingham Palace, but when the Palace needed to be expanded was relocated to this district of the city.

London Photo Bomb Day 1 and 2

So it has been almost a month since we left for our European vacation and I guess it is about time to share some of our pictures. First stop was London, we stayed with some good friends about a 45 minutes from downtown. The first night we stayed local and went to some local pubs for some nightlife. Sadly this is the only picture I got from that night....we had way too much fun!

Early the next morning we hopped on the commuter and navigated the tube to start seeing the sights.

Whirlwind Adventures to Normal Day Routine

We are back home trying to get back into our daily routine of life. Boy it's hard to come home and have to cook and clean after running all over Europe and having it done for you! The boys have kept me busy getting registered for school, having physicals done and getting some school shopping done before they start of the 12th of August. We also got to host my sister and her family this week, touring the Arch and also doing the local beer tour ;) I will get to posting pictures of the amazing trip the hubby and I went on, but some things need to get done around here first....maybe even a nap or two ;)

Jet Setter

On Sunday we leave, can't believe it is almost here

My head is spinning, vacation planning overseas is so overwhelming 

So much to read and research

Tickets to museums and attractions still need to be bought

Post it notes full of stuff that still needs to be taken care of

Hubby still working like crazy back home and ended up on an emergency mission to Canada

Farm Fresh in Photos

Leavin' On a Jet Plane

Once again days seem to be flying by here. Our days are filled with house chores, outside time, errands, play dates, and trip planning. The boys and I were suppose to leave today for MN, but with not having myself packed, less then desirable sleep the past two nights, and a headache probably due to it we are pushing it back a day. Not only have we planning for our road trip to MN, but also J and my European trip. We have been planning a trip for a couple years, but finally have J's leave in and last weekend we purchased our tickets for the flights. We have some very nice and accommodating friends that will be allowing us to stay with them at the beginning (England) and at the end (Naples), but we still need to arrange places in between and also our train tickets from the various countries/cities we are hitting. 

So where all are we going? We are starting off in England, spending 3/4 days and then heading to Paris. We are in Paris and the local sights for again 3/4 days and then heading to Italy via a night train. We will be spending 1 night in both Florence and Rome before ending up in Naples with another wonderful family that we consider family. From Naples we will be jet setting it to Rome and then Amsterdam so that we can catch our connecting flight back to Minnesota. 

We are super excited to say the least...but I am also nervous...even though I'm married to a pilot, I'm not a huge fan of flying. This is also my first time traveling over seas. The only time I have been out of the country was the 3 times we crossed the boarder in to Mexico when J was at pilot training, before passports were required and when it was still allowed by the base. Talk about anxiety...at least once we get on the jet at MSP its a direct flight. New places, eventually different languages and money, time zones, and not to mention that we will be leaving the boys for almost two weeks. Not that I am afraid something will happen to them, but the boys are ALWAYS with me. I am sure there are going to be times where I scan frantically looking for them before realizing that they aren't with us, or thinking the boys would really like this.

I am very appreciative that we are able to take a trip like this and very exciting, but scary at the same time. Trying to pick out hotels online, spending $$$ on things that you are trusting to be telling the truth that they really do have air conditioning, non-smoking rooms, and an attached bathroom. Another battle I continue to have is determining which sites to see, since we have a very limited amount of time and some things just won't make the cut. We would love to believe that we will be able to return someday and see some of the cities and countries we couldn't fit in, but since my gazing ball isn't working we don't know it that will happen.

I'll just keep using this....

and this

and of course this

 as a motivation to get our things in order and get over all the little fears that creep into the process of getting there.

Greening Things Up

So I have gone missing for a long month due to the beautiful weather we have been having here. We have had a couple wild storms come through, but until this week the weather has been beautiful and not too hot and humid. I have been taking advantage of the weather by getting vegetables planted in the garden box and also cleaning out the the flower beds and making them a little less maintenance (hopefully) with putting paper and edging down. You will have to forgive the phone pics, it what was handy at the moment ;)

About one week after putting the bulk of seeds in.

A Green Thumb

For those of you that know me personally you already know how much I like to dig in the soil. Whether it is vegetables or some pretty flowers, I love to spend some of my extra time outside gardening. For several months I have been pinning gardening boxes to my pinterest account, and then hinting to the hubby that I would love to have something like this to garden in. A couple of weekends ago he asked me what was on my honey do list....specifically the yard list. I had been noticing that the flower beds were getting weedy from some invasive grass and would like to have some kind of trim put in to help keep it out. I also mentioned how I would really love to have someplace to plant veggies as well. I don't think it took very long for him to decided, making a vegetable bed meant he got to go to Lowes and buy some tools he has been eyeing for awhile. After loading up and picking up the the trailer we drove off to pick up supplies. I took the boys to pick out some plants/seeds, while J concentrated on the boards and tools he was going to need to do the project. We joined up outside to pick out the soil and rocks, after 30+ bags to fill the bed being loaded into the trailer we drove off with everything we needed.

Busy As Usual

You may have noticed that there was a long break again from posting, not that it isn't uncommon for me to just not "feeling" like blogging, but this time we have just been crazy busy. A dear friend that we have been stationed with at the last 3 bases just purchased a short sale. Needless to say it wasn't in the best condition after sitting empty for almost 2 years. Her husband is currently deployed and this is their first home purchase, they can see the light at the end of the tunnel with retirement and thought it was time to let the kids have some consistency and finish off school here. 

Military Spouse Appreciation Day!

So the Friday before Mother's Day is once again here. To most people it is just another normal Friday, but to those of us who are married to military members it is a day to celebrate our faithfulness, perseverance, and the trials and tribulations that comes with being labeled a "dependent". I have had the privilege of meeting some incredible spouses (male and female) along the way that support and love not only their spouse but other military families, including mine. Most military families end up hundreds, if not thousands of miles from their traditional families. Luckily over the years we have been blessed with a network of friends that fill some of the void of not having family nearby. They become our family. Watching children when needed, picking up that forgotten item from the grocery store, providing meals when needed, sharing a drink or two when life gets rough, and being there for both the good and bad times. 

I would like to say thank you to all of those that have been there for our family over the years. I hope to repay your kindness by doing my best at providing others with the same friendship and guidance you have shown us. No amount of thank you's seem to be enough, so I will try to pay it forward. Trying to encourage the new generation of military spouses to continue to form relationships with other military spouses, to lend a hand when it would be easier to walk the other direction, to have ears that are receptive to listening, and to know what just to say when advice is needed.

I know I am not the only one that appreciates all that you do, but wanted to let you know how grateful I am for your friendship over the years. A huge THANK YOU to all of the military spouses out there!

Double Digits, Birthday Highlights

So our oldest has hit double digits, making him a tween or pre-teen. Hard to believe 10 years has past since bringing him home from the hospital.

Spring Flowers

Sending all those that are still getting snow back home, yes it is April 23rd, some signs of spring that we are having. Instead of snow we got rain, and lots of it too! My tulips and daffodils are loving it, and I am loving them!

Great Shoes and Creating a Creative Space

As the title states I found some great shoes I just had to show you...made by Roxy and were a steal at the BX on clearance for under $20. Super comfy and have become my go to shoes to slide into when heading out the door (usually in a hurry). J calls them my slippers...they are that comfy ;) but have real soles...so they are shoes for reals!

Hockey Shots

Growing up in a small town in MN I remember playing floor hockey in middle school and broom ball in high school. It made sense that growing up in MN that many of us skated or had access to one of the many frozen ponds that would be cleared for pick up games. I also remember when MN was home of the North Stars, before being moved to Dallas--which seemed awfully silly at the time since we all know that Texas would know the first thing about snow, ice and freezing temperatures. Looking back I  never got to watch the North Stars play, I think the games were shown on one the "snowy" channels.

Google Reader Axed

So Google has decided to ax google reader...those cute little pictures of my friends and followers who choose to openly show they like my blog will be no more. So in anticipation I have chosen a new way to keep tabs of the blogs I like to read and follow, Bloglovin'. Its new and fresh and even has an app for all of us that use iPads or even our iPhones when we are killing time waiting around for appointments, kids to be done with activities, or having some insomnia problems. I am new to Bloglovin', so I don't know all the ins and outs yet, but I am hoping to explore it and the features more this week. Come join me over at BlogLovin' and don't miss out on updates of your favorite blogs!

Fur Baby Photo Shoot

 So Bella is getting so big already. She has a huge personality, laid back and cuddly and yet full of spunk and playfulness. N has really taken a liking to her and insists on petting and hugging her as much as possible. No bed time or departure is complete unless her gets to hug her and pet his cuddle bug.

6 Months at "Home"

So we have hit that 6 month mark, that point in a military families life that you really start feeling "at home"...which if you are doing a special assignment like a school you are usually only there for a year...sad to think you could spend half your time being stationed somewhere just being busy settling into a routine. Some might think that 6 months seems too long, but after talking to other spouses and having personally moved 8 times I think it checks out. Figuring it takes at least a month to unpack and organize all the rooms, getting the kids into their routine of school and activities, figuring out how to get from point A to point B in the local area, easing into making new friends, trying to find time for working out, etc. At the six month point I think I have it all balanced, well maybe.