Feed the Birds...

Tuppence a bag...
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a baaag.

Back to London.  And back to one of my favorite movies.  I was singing these songs through out the whole weekend.  And I totally had to google the song because I first typed out, "toppens a bag".  I then thought, hmmm, I wonder what "toppens" are because it seems as though it should be a currency.  After I looked it up I figured out it was "tuppence" and it was an old currency from the UK.  Although it makes more sense since they still use pence pieces.  So for all these years I've sung "toppins" and that wasn't right at all!  Though I do that quite often and every once in awhile I get caught singing the wrong words.  When I don't understand the words I just sing what it sounds like to me and after awhile that just becomes normal and I don't even think about it! 

Anyway, on to the pictures!

The entrance into the Buckingham Palace area

In front of the Queen's home

The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.  The new guard switches with the old guard accompanied by the band.

Westminister Abbey.  It's huge inside with tons of tombs and memorials.  Hundreds of famous people rest there from Newton to Darwin to Handel.  Handel's Messiah is a family favorite to listen to at Christmas.  I saw the memorial to him in the Abbey.  It is still an active church and is the place where all of the Queens and Kings have their service of coronation.

The Abbey again.  I mean really, who says it rains in London?!?

So when I first looked down and saw these painted on the street at EVERY crosswalk I got quite a laugh out of it.  But it came in VERY, VERY helpful.  You don't even realize how difficult it is to get used to looking the opposite direction!  We all almost got hit at one point or another by looking the wrong direction before walking into the street.  It would take a LONG time to get used to driving on the WRONG side of the street!

Part of the Parliament building.

The Parliament building with Big Ben off to the side.  This is the view from the back across the river.

There he is people, Big Ben himself.  Although really you can't actually see "Big Ben".  Technically Big Ben is the name of the bell inside the clock tower.  It was named after a senior member of the project crew who built the tower.

We were looking to enter the Ministry of Magic.  Unfortunately we did not have the correct coins to get in.  Apparently we don't know the right people...next time I'll get in touch with Mr. Weasley.

They too, were unsuccessful.  But they look so cute in the phone booth together :)

The original Hard Rock.  We waited for an hour in line to get a pager.  Luckily after getting the pager we only waited about 5 minutes or so.  We got to a point where we had waited for long enough that we just couldn't turn back...so we stuck it out and had an EXCELLENT meal. 

Tower Bridge.  Not London Bridge, but Tower Bridge!

Driving over Tower Bridge

A guard in the Tower of London.  While in the Tower of London we also saw the Crown Jewels.  Beautiful crowns worn by the Kings and Queens.  There were 2 crowns that each had a diamond on it that was over 300 carats...and I think they were each worn once!  Can you even imagine?  Unbelievable!

Capitalizing on good ole' Sherlock Holmes.  This was a stop on our Ghost Tour that was included with our bus pass.  The tour ended up being kinda dumb, so we cut out early and found an excellent burger place for dinner!

And look at this, we found a pub that was celebrating the 4th of July, sorta.  They had decorations up at least!  They were serving Budweiser, Jack Daniels and hot dogs.  We went in the pub and had a drink solely because of the decorations!  As one of our guides on the 4th of July mentioned, "we fondly refer to this day as Loser's Day.  We got rid of the colony because they were mad about the tax on tea and in revenge, thanks to America, we now have Starbucks, the city's most expensive coffee!" 

Kika and I a bit sunburnt and a bit tired at the end of the day...but a great day it was!

And the goofballs we call our husbands :)

Great trip.  Okay, that's all for now!

Chim chiminey chim chiminey...

Chim chim cher-ee
A sweep is as lucky
As lucky can be...

We LOVED London.  I feel like I say that about every place we go, but again, we had a really great trip.  We went with Kika and Greg, some good friends from the squadron.  Greg and Taylor have been good friends for a few months since Greg got here in February.  Kika finally arrived in June and we've had so much fun :) 

We left on Saturday morning, bright and early and took a Ryan Air flight from Treviso to Stansted Airport.  Ryan Air is a discount airlines with incredibly cheap flights through out Europe.  We had heard some horror stories about charging a ton of extra money for overweight (22lbs) bags and ensuring they are exact dimensions for carry on luggage, including purses in your carry on bag, tiny little seats, and crazy lines.  We got a good tip from someone to pay an extra 4 Euros to have Priority boarding.  And boy was it worth it!  We were in a small group of about 15 people to board first and we were able to sit in the emergency exit rows which had more leg space then any flight I've ever been on, including my flights to Italy and Korea!  (Can you tell I've never flown first class!!??)  So besides the flight attendants selling everything from bus passes to cigarettes and lottery tickets on the flight, (a no smoking flight...ironic, huh?) it was actually GREAT!

How British can we get...on the train ride from the airport to downtown London, there was an English man reading Harry Potter aloud to a little boy next to him.  I seriously considered sitting right next to him to have Harry Potter read to me as well!  I loved it.  When we got into the train station, Kika and I were looking for Platform 9 and 3/4...we were in the wrong station though!

Once in London we checked into our hotel and started wandering.  We were told we should do a "hop on, hop off" Big City Tour Bus.  They were all over London and stopped at all the main tourist attractions and had a bus running every 10-15 minutes.  We purchased a two day pass and learned quite a bit of information from the tour guides with running commentary along the routes.

For example...there were some streets with extremely wide doorways.  Story is, back in the day when the roads were full of dust and mud, those members of "high society" would be carried out of their homes on a chair type contraption with 2-4 people carrying them so as not to dirty their dresses.  Those carrying the chairs would yell, "chair, ho" (or something that sounded like that...) as they entered the street...hence giving us the very British saying of "Cheer-io"

We passed by the hotel where Elizabeth Taylor has spent FOUR of her honeymoons...FOUR.  That just seems like bad luck.  I'm sure it was all the hotel...

We passed by Baker Street...highly famous for a fictional character.  The home of Sherlock Holmes.  The actual address still recieves letters to this day to help solve mysteries.

We did all of the touristy things such as...Buckingham Palace, changing of the guard, the Tower of London, which is actually a palace/castle (I was not aware...you may be more informed than me), Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Westminister Abbey, the original Hard Rock, among many other things!

Okay, it was at this point I was planning to include the pictures.  I've been trying to open the files and I can't get them open right now.  Also as I type this and watch Chelsea Lately on tv, my AFN stopped working.  It now says Technical Difficulties have Interrupted our Programming.  Please Stand By.  So I will say the same to you.  Please Stand By, I will have pictures posted soon.  Later.

I'll tell you why it's not working, because I just took Taylor to the airport today for his deployment.  I swear, my AC is going to break, my fridge will go out and I'll probably have some car trouble now that he's out of town!  No, but really, he's on a flight up to Ramstein.  He'll be spending about 2 days in Germany and then he will head over to Kyrgyzstan until hopefully only middle of January (6 months).  I was a bit sad, only a few tears before he left.  He told me I couldn't cry at the airport :)  I did a pretty good job. 

Rosario told Taylor he was going to take care of me, not to worry!  We went over to visit for a few minutes today so Taylor could say goodbye to him, and Rosario started crying as we were leaving!  He's so sweet, he said "oh, you're good friends, good friends!"  Although, I think he's confused and thinks Taylor is going to Afghanistan because he kept talking about the Al Qaida and living in the sides of mountains.  But either way, no worries, I'm in good hands :) 

Alright, pictures will come soon, when my computer begins following instructions!

Don't Pee in the Wet Suit!!!

Look at this new blog!  It only took me about 8 hours to figure it out!  Literally.  I kept messing with it and trying to get my stuff to work and my pictures to show up correctly on all my old posts and finally after trying and trying, I got it to work!  Woo hooo!  Can you tell I had a weekend at home?  Ahhh, it has been so nice and much, much needed!

Taylor and I have just been hanging out all weekend, we went to Lake Barcis on Saturday with the DeGruchy's and their cute dogs.  We went on a good hike and hung out while the dogs played in the lake.  We grilled burgers for dinner and enjoyed good company.  Taylor leaves on Tuesday afternoon for his deployment.  So we're down to our last few days :(.  I have Tuesday off work, so I'll be able to take him to the terminal...then I'll be a single lady for 6 months.  I'm sure I'll find something to keep me busy :)

As I was uploading my London pictures to my computer these were on there too, I forgot I hadn't uploaded pics from our white water rafting trip and hike in Slovenia.  So here they are!

Our whole group ready to take on the mighty river.  We had to wear wet suits because it was SUPER cold!  And please notice the van behind us...yes, a 13 passenger, stick shift, van.  I volunteered to drive because they needed someone extra and I have my GOV license.  The day before leaving for the trip Ivy was driving the van (and I was riding) on one of our field trips with the kids.  I decided I should practice driving it since I volunteered to drive the next day to Slovenia, so I drove from the Flightline to Area 1 (about a 5 min drive).  On Saturday the guy leading the trip said, "So you've driven these vans before, right?"  I just smiled and said, "Yep!"  I'm happy to report I successfully transported everyone up to Slovenia and back home...phew.

The whole raft with our guide after the trip!  We flipped once, but it was on purpose.  Our guide had us all climb to the back of the boat and then he had us paddle right into a big rock so our boat lodged up on the rock and we flipped because we were all on the back.  We knew it was coming, but it was still a lot of fun!

The river, it was so beautiful.  The same color as Lake Barcis.  I guess it's from the run off from the snow on the mountains. 

On our hike after white water rafting.  We hiked to a gorgeous waterfall.

The hike took us through some bunkers from WWI.  They were very cool, built right into the sides of the mountains.

The waterfall!!!  Beautiful!!!

Umm, that would be Spiderman Ben over there scaling the wall to dive into the water.  It was freeeeezing.  We took our socks and shoes off to walk in to take pictures and that was all I could do!!

Alright, that's all for now.  But I have a few more posts planned.  Maybe tonight, if I'm on a roll...we're watching the World Cup and I'm going to bed early bc I have to work at 6am tomorrow! 

Espana! Espana!

Meet Rosario!!!

Hi friends!  I have written a few times about my wonderful neighbor, Rosario.  Thought you might like to meet him through pictures :)  He came over on Memorial Day for a barbecue I was having with a bunch of friends from work.  We taught him how to play Cornhole and he was actually really good at it!!  We all had a lot of fun!

He's so great!

And here are a few more pics from the party...yes, I know I'm a month late!

And for those who didn't check out the Facebook Album link on my last post, here are a few pics from Barcelona, Spain.

And coming soon when I have a free moment...pictures from London!!

Ciao, Hello, Hola...

Long time, no post.  I know!!

Summer work has officially begun which means I'm working 40 hours a week...but I'm gone about 50-55 with long lunch breaks and everything else.  It's getting better each week as we work out the kinks and find a comfortable routine!  I've been to the pool 3 afternoons, to the movie theatre, and the water park.  Taylor feels real bad for me...but he often forgets the work comes in when you add in the 30 kids, age 6-8 that go along with my trip to the water park!

Since I've been so busy, I don't have time to do a big update, so this one will be short and sweet.  I'm including a link to my Facebook album that has all pictures from Drew and Megan's visit, all the way up through Barcelona, which we LOVED, by the way!  Each picture is captioned, so you'll know where we were and what we were doing there :)

We're heading to London this weekend with the DeGruchy's, another couple from the squadron.  Looking forward to the trip and I'll post pictures from that trip, maybe next weekend!  I've been gone every weekend for the past 6 weeks.  Nove, Rome, Cinque Terre, Barcelona, Slovenia, now London...and next weekend is rest.  Taylor may possibly be leaving next weekend for his deployment...I'll update more on that when I have a definite date.  Knowing the Air Force, it will probably be the day before!

Enjoy the pictures!!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2455639&id=9402569&l=bc0a71d4db

No Time to Sleep!!!

Sixteen cities in sixteen days...yes, we have been busy.

Quick update.  After returning from our Roma tour we took 3 days to rest/go to Lake Barcis and drive up Piancavallo and then hit the road again.  This time to Cinque Terre and the Tuscany Region. 

We drove 5 hours to Camp Darby.

Saw Pisa for three hours...you only needed one.  Took the classic pictures...everyone was doing it.

Drew for Heisman!!!

Spent the next day hiking, hiking, picture, picture picture, hiking, hiking, swimming, hiking, picture, cliff diving, picture, and more hiking.  Five miles and one kilometer (that's our lazy conversion attempt!) and 5 towns later we had a gorgeous day.  We were sad for the clouds when our day began, after hiking uphill kilometer number one (of about 6) we were very thankful for the overcast weather and we all agreed it allowed us to complete the whole 5 miles!!

Sunday we left for small medieval towns in Tuscany...Volterra and San Gimignano.  Yes, that is Volterra, home of the Volturi for all you Twilight fans.  Don't be ashamed, we're fans too, and thought it was pretty dang cool!  So cool that Megan ordered New Moon gelato...yes, the town is capitalizing on its new found fame!  We spent the day exploring, shopping, and browsing the stores full of Alabaster...made in Volterra!  Climbed the Torre Grossa in San Gimignano (the Gross Tower or the Huge Tower...hmm)  But it was gorgeous!  Beautiful views of the rolling hills of Tuscany...wine country.  Took lots of pictures and tested the durability of sunglasses.  Drew's sunglasses fell off his shirt from 6 stories up in the tower.  They went bouncing all the way to the first floor with only a minor scratch on the lens.  Megan, however, dropped hers from her shirt to the ground while hiking Cinque Terre and they busted into 3 pieces...Drew won that battle.  Funny thing is they both bought them for 8 Euro from a street vendor in Rome!

Arrived home from that adventure around 10pm on Sunday night, but we weren't done yet.  We came home, re-packed and headed out for Croatia on Monday morning.  Papa, our grandpa, has family from Croatia so we thought it would be cool to see the country while the three of us were together.  We found a campsite on the Adriatic Sea in Croatia and we rested.  We cooked our dinner and breakfast on the beach with our mini Weber Kettle and enjoyed the sunshine and the ocean. 

While it was nice and relaxing, it wasn't the beach like we know it.  Siesta Key has spoiled us all with white sand and beaches the size of football fields.  We decided it was a combination of Siesta Key with the ocean and the Farm with the rocks by the river.  Hence a small rocky beach, but a beach is a beach.  And true to form, Drew and I bought Kadima (paddle ball) and played a few games out on the beach while Megan counted our hits.  We learned long ago that playing paddle ball with Meg was a lost cause!  She has now accepted that fact too, so we're all in happy agreement! 

While in the family spirit...you won't believe what we found there.  A playground in the ocean...yes, with an iceburg, a water trampoline, a slide, a seesaw, AND a blob!  You better believe we paid our 5 Euros for the hour (best 5 Euros we spent ALL trip :) to splash, jump, climb, and flop around the playground for the hour.  Hilarious.  We had no one to take our pictures while playing so our documentation is in the form of soreness and slight bruising.  It was well worth it! 

We bartered at the market and received a bracelet for a Bud Light and a Mikes Hard Lemonade.  They don't see many/any Americans in that area so the people were quite fascinated with the culture and anything "American" they could try!  Drew bought a pair of swim trunks and some sunglasses with 3 different currencies.  The Kunah (the Croatian currency), the Euro, and a 10 dollar bill.  The lady was amazed with the $10, she said she'd never seen that before!  Although for not meeting any Americans they spoke quite good English!  Drew asked the lady if she knew of anyone with the name Brmblic (Brombolich) because we had family there, but she didn't know of anyone :)  That was for you, Mama!!

We attempted to re-create a picture we all have framed of the three of us on the beach when we were kids walking in the water at sunset.  This was our closest attempt!!

We returned home on Tuesday night, Drew packed his things and we headed to the airport on Wednesday morning.  We left a sick Megan behind to rest and recover (I can't imagine why she would be sick!!)  Drew made it onto a flight to JFK and that's the last I've heard (his phone was a small casualty of the trip).  I assume he's arrived home by this point (fam...give us a call...hint, hint!).  I was sad to see Drew go, maybe a few tears.  We had such a fun trip with the three of us together...who would have thought we'd be able to spend all this time together and in ITALY!!!  This is the most time I've spent with Drew at one time since before I left for college and Meg since her summer at camp with me!  I'm a lucky girl to have such great family come to visit me!!!

So after many extra hours of sleep, some DayQuil, NyQuil, and vitamins Meg is beginning to feel a bit better.  She has 18 more hours to recover before we head out to Barcelona tomorrow morning with Taylor for the weekend!  More updates to come after our final trip! 

Buona famiglia, Buoni amici!!