tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740207318806318112024-03-05T15:58:08.065-08:00Deep ThoughtsB MAChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00555796925070389571noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674020731880631811.post-87270938796000824042009-08-12T00:09:00.000-07:002009-08-12T00:26:14.971-07:00A Proper PintAu revoir Paris, Cheerio London! Maybe it’s a new place, maybe its home sickness- we already like London more than we thought. My dear friend Tomsey once said, “London is a lot like this place.” He was referring to our neck of the woods- and he was right. First of all, they speak ENGLISH- a much prettier form- but understandable. Second, it’s RAINING. Yes, I’m a little happy to see rain. Third, PUBS & BEER. And when I say beer, I mean a REAL beer. In France, they would give you little 25 cl glasses full of warm, gross beer. If you are unaware what size that is, IT’S SMALL. (By the way, yes we did have good wine in France, but it was so hot and sometimes, you just want a cold beer- am I right or am I right?) <div><div><div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJepPTEVOEhCR7bQwiguarebG7xh3J1UDMBpJqwBcjEjP5IzDR6Knl5rXHFLllEvdMV9DTjlxbz0RZyHMHK9e0c77weM5nFLolpsWBpeuIdpjIyAaBgaqwGXR0X2PBnU6nbMlEThkFB0d/s1600-h/P8100116.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368973088937018626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJepPTEVOEhCR7bQwiguarebG7xh3J1UDMBpJqwBcjEjP5IzDR6Knl5rXHFLllEvdMV9DTjlxbz0RZyHMHK9e0c77weM5nFLolpsWBpeuIdpjIyAaBgaqwGXR0X2PBnU6nbMlEThkFB0d/s320/P8100116.JPG" /></a></div><div>Dave, this one’s for you..</div><br /><div>Tonight we found a little pub on the corner, complete with Irish bartender- accent and all. The boys loved it. It was probably the first time we had a real meal this whole trip- and half the price. That’s actually not saying much because our money here is worth even less than in France. But this is what we mean: When in Normandy, on the coast, Shawn ordered fish and chips. You may or may not know that Shawn always gets fish and chips. He was looking forward to having some good fish and chips on the coast. Imagine the disappointment when his food arrived- two Gordon’s Fisherman fish sticks! He also ordered chicken skewers and got Dino Nuggets. Billy had a similar experience when he ordered sausage and got two Oscar Meyer wieners. Well, this time, we got the real thing. Surprising, but so far, London has been better for food than Paris- at least for us. Who would have thought it?</div><div> </div><div><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368973424986509650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6UsnkzAwEUdAB-J4oWtjp2dIZjNep4CpPrga0znM4JPPLz6ZA9L3_wZlzrvg7CM9m25d_iyBBnscHvCRg-D2FJpRUnQGHhowlPC2ZTfGiZ6svktt3SoLepeu7q3gU48GqimDLB24EuGJ/s320/P8100121.JPG" /></div><div>Yay beer!</div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BYoooZoqUY_oirD6bBPTHdseLrbrFwpj4mz6oYtS8wQ6uIcoR5JD8FYuRwo5FmDD70Gu4tZJBnAwRB7a3COlP8zSDtrtOzlid3b8BzE3yyIMphuYXtJ6rf2FBlrRN3mtPeOHDvnr9Q0f/s1600-h/P8100103.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368974139892849698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BYoooZoqUY_oirD6bBPTHdseLrbrFwpj4mz6oYtS8wQ6uIcoR5JD8FYuRwo5FmDD70Gu4tZJBnAwRB7a3COlP8zSDtrtOzlid3b8BzE3yyIMphuYXtJ6rf2FBlrRN3mtPeOHDvnr9Q0f/s320/P8100103.JPG" /></a></div><div>Tea and crumpets anyone? Our flat is bigger than our houses! Thanks Aunt Joan!</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BYoooZoqUY_oirD6bBPTHdseLrbrFwpj4mz6oYtS8wQ6uIcoR5JD8FYuRwo5FmDD70Gu4tZJBnAwRB7a3COlP8zSDtrtOzlid3b8BzE3yyIMphuYXtJ6rf2FBlrRN3mtPeOHDvnr9Q0f/s1600-h/P8100103.JPG"></a> </div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5AGXss8yK81D36wzuJGDFoiX2qMSJ8CxOGHrgJFysxsubtOD5XkbiFXX6CmtbDq6Sz92-9NcrPoLRVICRDjjqrfMq0kmHicb1nIFzT5I70PudBH-n7S5Ih6WOu21IH5p3IJRTYiktVGVH/s1600-h/P8100127.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368973831541582498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5AGXss8yK81D36wzuJGDFoiX2qMSJ8CxOGHrgJFysxsubtOD5XkbiFXX6CmtbDq6Sz92-9NcrPoLRVICRDjjqrfMq0kmHicb1nIFzT5I70PudBH-n7S5Ih6WOu21IH5p3IJRTYiktVGVH/s320/P8100127.JPG" /></a></div><div>View from our flat....</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BYoooZoqUY_oirD6bBPTHdseLrbrFwpj4mz6oYtS8wQ6uIcoR5JD8FYuRwo5FmDD70Gu4tZJBnAwRB7a3COlP8zSDtrtOzlid3b8BzE3yyIMphuYXtJ6rf2FBlrRN3mtPeOHDvnr9Q0f/s1600-h/P8100103.JPG"></a></div></div></div>B MAChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00555796925070389571noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674020731880631811.post-33300910537088476492009-08-11T00:00:00.000-07:002009-08-11T01:00:23.950-07:00The Renaissance- Tour de ChenauceauIn the town of Amboise, there is a big outdoor market on Sunday mornings. They have all kinds of things- food, clothes, bedding, etc. Bret tried to have an Anthony Bourdain moment by buying some local fish-which Billy says was expensive carp. He also bought ham that turned out to be chicken.<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpuzhk4Rsnt9R8Ikx6R3902uoXfvZB5F0HFw8HWDFLzIYeMuhH4AS0HmEAa3kUbmeItYT8zAuNLfw3kM_mkEW0BTsKs8vQy35GmwiXWr5VriKTD-gWWNjZO2RAA0xuP-gYKfh8pYyeaFX/s1600-h/P8090009.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368599435871465522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpuzhk4Rsnt9R8Ikx6R3902uoXfvZB5F0HFw8HWDFLzIYeMuhH4AS0HmEAa3kUbmeItYT8zAuNLfw3kM_mkEW0BTsKs8vQy35GmwiXWr5VriKTD-gWWNjZO2RAA0xuP-gYKfh8pYyeaFX/s320/P8090009.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbewS5mswtviYREZB_oR2N0N_lxw896niNSHrlho8oYglL5nyA1QfqHvUijSqF54b6HdRbCCQRDyB0jGn5SLkPqCBKD8OdssT7YopU0XZHPLQcmRghzcqWgkXiGa31DOOW1d_-kStWOfH/s1600-h/P8090007.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368599442299638930" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbewS5mswtviYREZB_oR2N0N_lxw896niNSHrlho8oYglL5nyA1QfqHvUijSqF54b6HdRbCCQRDyB0jGn5SLkPqCBKD8OdssT7YopU0XZHPLQcmRghzcqWgkXiGa31DOOW1d_-kStWOfH/s320/P8090007.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div>Since we are in the middle of castle country, we decided to see the castle of Chenauceau. Us kiddos rented bikes to ride and the old folks took a pricey taxi. While waiting on the street for the bike shop to re-open, we saw the only homeless person in the town! This brings us to the Quote du Jour: Jessica says to Emily, “See, even the bums here are more stylish than American bums!” And its true- he had slim fit, dark wash jeans and European tennis shoes. Even his beard was better looking than the usual. Bret described his style as “derelict” but I have a hunch he was dressing this way before Zoolander.</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2_3WlY6jHlFm7QWd7FsrgmnlsSsByRaRe6QLcrEJJ8va_FUArKUocgegpBSKQVlNztm-7leskup_G7o-nZ3il1yPW-xyDsATFIwmJ7xucVPeAwvcFHOHd0ySyLTAg8fToLThwe_aGKie/s1600-h/P8090015.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368599447282113170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2_3WlY6jHlFm7QWd7FsrgmnlsSsByRaRe6QLcrEJJ8va_FUArKUocgegpBSKQVlNztm-7leskup_G7o-nZ3il1yPW-xyDsATFIwmJ7xucVPeAwvcFHOHd0ySyLTAg8fToLThwe_aGKie/s320/P8090015.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div>Bum-Watch!</div><br /><div>The bike path to Chenauceau takes us through the town of Amboise- passing by Leonardo DaVinci’s house. It was a nice day for a bike ride. However, the castle was about an hour ride each way (26 km total) and we had to have the bikes back at a certain time, so it didn’t leave much time to stop for pictures. Once again, this is a part of our trip that was just like in a movie. The French countryside is pretty. We were smiling like idiots. The downside is that when you are riding a bike really fast down a hill, bugs will hit you in the face- so just don’t open your mouth! Oh, and PS: Everyone told me to put the distance in kilometers so it would sound like we rode longer than we did. I don’t even think we knew how long it was until we figured it out later! (And neither will you hehe)</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEtJ7biFBiF2mk8dgkPPvwYAYzyw0KMMNCPIky0qGc2hS_z6XqpXi0FS1wNnkoloLJflzrnESW7bLCfO0LlDyPiyEDddw6Trvt4nIoNa7w7CuTTN6jUApAu_IwyRRl-vMB3oigyMkLuS_/s1600-h/P8090016.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368599455561157138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEtJ7biFBiF2mk8dgkPPvwYAYzyw0KMMNCPIky0qGc2hS_z6XqpXi0FS1wNnkoloLJflzrnESW7bLCfO0LlDyPiyEDddw6Trvt4nIoNa7w7CuTTN6jUApAu_IwyRRl-vMB3oigyMkLuS_/s320/P8090016.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div></div><div>We saw the castle. It’s a lot smaller than the pictures make it look. There was also some restoration going on so the scaffolding kinda kills the ambiance. That being said, it was really neat to see a real castle in France. I kept thinking how crazy it was that people actually lived like this!</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeTssi6ieLhfG_z8lNABNRhgtRIKzvhCnrEYmK4H9Z4LNWAIbq77IiuNOi0J0iMSDAT-FsGHkNjon3OgFiK5Nhs2AJG_6UHA_T6reY99eSJ_BRw8s3emiaHKGtj3A5pdAk9VoGrli7yzM/s1600-h/P8090025.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368601506952765186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeTssi6ieLhfG_z8lNABNRhgtRIKzvhCnrEYmK4H9Z4LNWAIbq77IiuNOi0J0iMSDAT-FsGHkNjon3OgFiK5Nhs2AJG_6UHA_T6reY99eSJ_BRw8s3emiaHKGtj3A5pdAk9VoGrli7yzM/s320/P8090025.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3UbYsTPI0Byqjvjm_y_ad1QgwTrGhkzyYZX0QIA7GTu4jICeHxe3HMrHtb-zMz3Ojsnw_7sLp4-jo2UPC_E-8WNfYBq_dl-QwJHoKou5w9Wy6SeMi6uF6ViruTQiM7ahNM-hj-GfFqdG/s1600-h/P8090058.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368601513904722514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3UbYsTPI0Byqjvjm_y_ad1QgwTrGhkzyYZX0QIA7GTu4jICeHxe3HMrHtb-zMz3Ojsnw_7sLp4-jo2UPC_E-8WNfYBq_dl-QwJHoKou5w9Wy6SeMi6uF6ViruTQiM7ahNM-hj-GfFqdG/s320/P8090058.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJARXvIvhEfxAkrpd3LRoOeiJb3RDSDs66v0MHG4eP3J0kN8-GaABYMTP23sGB6q2YjHXW9nGdcIUIK2HVMQS87e7zraA0-s7ulrzH8uJ3xZVXcOAVHlfC_k1ZIlnR9YCImJdqzXfL_Yk/s1600-h/P8090060.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368601519257943298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJARXvIvhEfxAkrpd3LRoOeiJb3RDSDs66v0MHG4eP3J0kN8-GaABYMTP23sGB6q2YjHXW9nGdcIUIK2HVMQS87e7zraA0-s7ulrzH8uJ3xZVXcOAVHlfC_k1ZIlnR9YCImJdqzXfL_Yk/s320/P8090060.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div><br />After all the biking, we were starving. For our last meal in France, we had all our goods from the market that day. This included rabbit that Shawn bought. It tastes like chicken, but Emily couldn’t eat it. Many of you know she calls Shawn “Bunny” – so because of this she couldn’t eat an actual bunny. I did think it was strange that it kept looking at me with it’s charred eyeball- almost like it was saying, “Don’t eat me you evil person! I’m just a bunny wabbit!” I should have felt worse since I had a pet bunny when I was a kid- but it would bite me and pee on me. So, I didn’t feel bad about it.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_7g98mwOp-Aejz38dS0L3mhyphenhyphen0WsJ-8eYKdHdUlOCT9hfRTPiPJJeR-w4s9Lto8m-XLlBYDqrMDhWcO1EB10uMazdUyzbsBDLR6yzriKyaswykpGqvUhcwhU51pKV_rhXNu0TVEus1WE1R/s1600-h/DSC00855.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368609058587324370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_7g98mwOp-Aejz38dS0L3mhyphenhyphen0WsJ-8eYKdHdUlOCT9hfRTPiPJJeR-w4s9Lto8m-XLlBYDqrMDhWcO1EB10uMazdUyzbsBDLR6yzriKyaswykpGqvUhcwhU51pKV_rhXNu0TVEus1WE1R/s320/DSC00855.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div><br />This place we rented has silly hats for people to wear for fun. The owners like the guests to send them pictures- so we had a Mad-Hatter’s dinner. I didn’t know this when we booked the place, but something tells me, they would love Le Shed! </div><div> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8XRtCseHwVvQkGDKCXj5ifUslHheBwDc1rjIHJWX4-fMpmWv4SlW3at8xLC3TP_AULsb8unfkH-NjrSUijyv5SM6cK7LR3GoVjaRTwYCZWo424wjlNdd944D3zkuOhGzdAAJ40icDt4e/s1600-h/P8090087.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368611574980173090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8XRtCseHwVvQkGDKCXj5ifUslHheBwDc1rjIHJWX4-fMpmWv4SlW3at8xLC3TP_AULsb8unfkH-NjrSUijyv5SM6cK7LR3GoVjaRTwYCZWo424wjlNdd944D3zkuOhGzdAAJ40icDt4e/s320/P8090087.JPG" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div> All in all, it was a good last day in France. We are sad to leave, but will be glad to move on to a place that we understand a bit more-somewhere closer to home. It was such an ordeal to pack my stuff up again- I’m wondering how in the world are we going to get our stuff home on the plane? I guess we will cross that bridge when we get to the airport, and they tell us we can’t take anything home. We are on the Eurostar right now- and I’m thinking it’s a miracle no one has had a moment on the train like in French Kiss, “LACTOSE INTOLERANCE!” See you chaps in London! </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnd6wDBB91Sgi8Q27Ny_EsSwv05KrciYhyK2ivqnIH2Q9eCIuibrTQIN86W0eJ-UP_LU7U86rdOCJzRpWjSmqbmmDJwW8HDlDqnFP70xQY6GnBq47N4oXtcCqwuSMwUJl3qSC7-RQRr0bu/s1600-h/P8090072.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368601524661411330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnd6wDBB91Sgi8Q27Ny_EsSwv05KrciYhyK2ivqnIH2Q9eCIuibrTQIN86W0eJ-UP_LU7U86rdOCJzRpWjSmqbmmDJwW8HDlDqnFP70xQY6GnBq47N4oXtcCqwuSMwUJl3qSC7-RQRr0bu/s320/P8090072.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJED1brRK1Sdu_MOcuwXUzyLydrToENVZmb3HsVpDSwXTSwCuqlSQ8TNK1FbZbSbc1turzYaZK-FNK9gnLOWJFJKTGWIB6z422awsWRQdMI6rzqS1IMSfJeqUAD5YPA-8ppRJYzEW9L3V/s1600-h/P8090080.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368601530482673106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJED1brRK1Sdu_MOcuwXUzyLydrToENVZmb3HsVpDSwXTSwCuqlSQ8TNK1FbZbSbc1turzYaZK-FNK9gnLOWJFJKTGWIB6z422awsWRQdMI6rzqS1IMSfJeqUAD5YPA-8ppRJYzEW9L3V/s320/P8090080.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjieUNz2wdmiiL7MiFLp_In7w08iriLBw2wWSyNN28iJNG3DmqofqwDWcCdJZx51cf52WqcbxvNxjIIKmNThiyYcx6WHRZSR93CUGWijUqZC_KMDt0hqckU56IVb8gIRhRhU4Z3zZc_EPC8/s1600-h/DSC00854.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368608453233800386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjieUNz2wdmiiL7MiFLp_In7w08iriLBw2wWSyNN28iJNG3DmqofqwDWcCdJZx51cf52WqcbxvNxjIIKmNThiyYcx6WHRZSR93CUGWijUqZC_KMDt0hqckU56IVb8gIRhRhU4Z3zZc_EPC8/s320/DSC00854.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQ1GmI79nYFhx-qxc6O8oZ5BBgAA6wrFV_TXvR1jjUJLLG0xNxqMBehmI3apf7p4909rue6WNgOkr2ng-pwJT8iJgq6mW1XohlhkrvzNEVwHoC2RO08KeRhjNPCHZJ0nApiqaXg8BNYHO/s1600-h/DSC00853.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368607735800437538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQ1GmI79nYFhx-qxc6O8oZ5BBgAA6wrFV_TXvR1jjUJLLG0xNxqMBehmI3apf7p4909rue6WNgOkr2ng-pwJT8iJgq6mW1XohlhkrvzNEVwHoC2RO08KeRhjNPCHZJ0nApiqaXg8BNYHO/s320/DSC00853.JPG" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>B MAChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00555796925070389571noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674020731880631811.post-42527838808550544552009-08-08T02:30:00.000-07:002009-08-08T03:30:38.195-07:00The Dark AgesI think the time has come where the trip feels a little long. It's been nearly 2 weeks since leaving home and I think we (except Mom) are getting a bit cranky. No big deal, nothing we can't handle, just an observation. We left Honfluer reluctanly to drive back to Paris on Wendseday to return the rental cars and get on the soonest train to our next destination (Amboise) by 3:48 in the afternoon. The trains for the most part are fine except that it's so humid here right now. I've literally been sweating for the last week and a half. On top of that as you all know the Frenchys are stinky! I'm sick of getting the wiffs of B.O. everywhere we go. But its cooled off a tad here in Amboise which is a 2 hour train ride southwest of Paris. Ever seen Robin Hood or any movie with medevil times in it? That's Amboise.<br /><div><div><div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdrNeJ8etiK0RNfD9E8ZH6_-rhuiUm6FBfBevm2P8XEB2bv3IsvkF2OG4qNaPPucYT8AmRCzoo7LFM-NQ5OAYjuepX4Oud84EjkbzVINejye6xPSejQISDEtgkDX111SViEX0DY9D5MLr/s1600-h/P8070049.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367532606505299122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdrNeJ8etiK0RNfD9E8ZH6_-rhuiUm6FBfBevm2P8XEB2bv3IsvkF2OG4qNaPPucYT8AmRCzoo7LFM-NQ5OAYjuepX4Oud84EjkbzVINejye6xPSejQISDEtgkDX111SViEX0DY9D5MLr/s320/P8070049.JPG" /></a><br />Castle designed by Da Vinci himself</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaH3hsxDetewBiijBuzSDEN9k5-iJO8bo6skKJ1OCNFRMP80n1EpJwPpw4cmVOz6EDk2Xu3KILvnOTM5kJpHReliXbcbI7T3qzO3d3a9H8xhES6aw5_TJCsg3qqoGYan4MTl_eXLEoaSuf/s1600-h/P8070055.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367536709288868242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaH3hsxDetewBiijBuzSDEN9k5-iJO8bo6skKJ1OCNFRMP80n1EpJwPpw4cmVOz6EDk2Xu3KILvnOTM5kJpHReliXbcbI7T3qzO3d3a9H8xhES6aw5_TJCsg3qqoGYan4MTl_eXLEoaSuf/s320/P8070055.JPG" /></a></div><div>Geeks!</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mxWaP3RuAQYLIeYCd44ZpKIyTjtvIwCuTv0RC_mQpjM-1HLcFLyI-5ZEZl2uzuULC44umULAPqqghOlTR2HnKXu1l-WNNv8MSy3tMZh8cr-YEeocgOqgFGqEpYFvMiymLpb-qLzW8gRj/s1600-h/P8070056.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367536703615011650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mxWaP3RuAQYLIeYCd44ZpKIyTjtvIwCuTv0RC_mQpjM-1HLcFLyI-5ZEZl2uzuULC44umULAPqqghOlTR2HnKXu1l-WNNv8MSy3tMZh8cr-YEeocgOqgFGqEpYFvMiymLpb-qLzW8gRj/s320/P8070056.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2FRg8E755feUpFMRSolI1tBwPRKqqVw4qCbgjc98wGNE8mr42Ex3JO8F0SwrMYa7Y6cBo3etbuKXogrcyt7mg7O7lvJiV3ab-mcH1M21rz3tev_sLnI_D-miU_Hmt8QnU_sYbvbUU8Ejd/s1600-h/P8070053.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367532614289611986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2FRg8E755feUpFMRSolI1tBwPRKqqVw4qCbgjc98wGNE8mr42Ex3JO8F0SwrMYa7Y6cBo3etbuKXogrcyt7mg7O7lvJiV3ab-mcH1M21rz3tev_sLnI_D-miU_Hmt8QnU_sYbvbUU8Ejd/s320/P8070053.JPG" /></a></div><div></div><div>Da Vinci's last residence before his death in 1519</div><div> </div><div>Full of huge castles and great winerys. Sitting in the heart of the Loire Valley the grapes have very strong tastes. I dont know what that means I read it in a book. Our townhouse is very charming. Three floors with kitchen and dining room so we took full advatage of it and cooked in last night Friday. </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITTiFeY_zXIoDwJ_nnxuc0GYIisL8qZ45UCMvUQJ4UCGiwsvWN3-YP0E58lRD6Mc1vrdu6PGd1CCYFvfRpa3Qww7ed8lx9vJPJof_pHIpYJp_9Lf0gO18WRKv96Arl6VUzsONERF2mDTn/s1600-h/P8070076.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367532601844708706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITTiFeY_zXIoDwJ_nnxuc0GYIisL8qZ45UCMvUQJ4UCGiwsvWN3-YP0E58lRD6Mc1vrdu6PGd1CCYFvfRpa3Qww7ed8lx9vJPJof_pHIpYJp_9Lf0gO18WRKv96Arl6VUzsONERF2mDTn/s320/P8070076.JPG" /></a></div><div>We had pasta with salad and lots of wine. It was delightful. </div><div> </div><div>Today we are feeling a bit under the weather because stupid Shawn got us all sick. So we are struggling to get going. We all love your comments and miss you all. We also are avoiding talking about Phoenix for obvious reasons. I know I'm not as interesting as Jessica but too bad I'm bored. -B Mac</div></div></div></div>B MAChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00555796925070389571noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674020731880631811.post-15786237027627277292009-08-05T22:27:00.000-07:002009-08-07T12:14:23.152-07:00The Cat's Meow...So the plan was to get up early and be on to our next destination. Instead, we took our time. We walked along Rue Cler, got breakfast, and watched the street vendors open up for the day. <div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcgBo9XsdNK0IpiTqZLByfY0Q3G-XohGkIXu__0P6TmQrQ8VQc_zHerJD1urUxvcruDIxqsqOOhuRlBa5ZRYmYEGLwczSdtwqnNlaRFMzqKNnWOqd6X7FZEofJZi7N0F4zHORJdVPU4zX/s1600-h/P8040301.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367265039659973602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcgBo9XsdNK0IpiTqZLByfY0Q3G-XohGkIXu__0P6TmQrQ8VQc_zHerJD1urUxvcruDIxqsqOOhuRlBa5ZRYmYEGLwczSdtwqnNlaRFMzqKNnWOqd6X7FZEofJZi7N0F4zHORJdVPU4zX/s320/P8040301.JPG" /></a></div><div>Rue Cler market</div><div> </div><div>Bret was a little concerned that we should be leaving early, but he didn’t know why he felt like that- maybe just a little anxious. Around 11, we went to check out and the boys went to get our car. Over a half an hour later, the boys returned- no car. Bret was so upset with himself. Apparently, they gave away our car because we didn’t show up in time. The people at the car rental company we not helpful at all, and they didn’t have any cars under $500 each- and we needed two cars. Thank goodness, we were able to find a better place closer to rent from. It was a small company owned by a nice Italian family. The two cars we got ended up being cheaper than the one we had reserved in the first place.</div><div><br />While Bret and Shawn were getting the cars, we were overstaying our welcome at our hotel. By this time we had been sitting in the entry for a couple hours, and the concierge named Bernard asked us to leave after lunch. Needless to say, we were even more worried the more the time passed that we would be kicked out on the streets in the hot weather. Well apparently there was a misunderstanding and once we paid for our rooms and told him about our car, he totally changed. He had us move into the beautiful courtyard (way better than the front room). We got beers and sandwiches and listened to music- they played The Girl from Ipanema in french. Billy fell asleep sitting upright, and they brought lounge chairs for us to sleep in. It was wonderful- but it was the calm before the storm..</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2lh3KrkFNzLKDEAGbnpwr63uKioKscPV3qh57lJgcqQwwqjOTVxtyxmSN2Lss4EePSNh_MGcC9FwVCh0hLNR6El9fDg-yrJt_TqVlTl1_1KsLS4f54UnHVacxDQWqESEKphQVRqpLVL0/s1600-h/P8040322.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367265032033763842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2lh3KrkFNzLKDEAGbnpwr63uKioKscPV3qh57lJgcqQwwqjOTVxtyxmSN2Lss4EePSNh_MGcC9FwVCh0hLNR6El9fDg-yrJt_TqVlTl1_1KsLS4f54UnHVacxDQWqESEKphQVRqpLVL0/s320/P8040322.JPG" /></a></div><div>Billy the bag-watcher. Homeless and car-less!<br /></div><div>Around 3 or so, the boys finally returned from getting our cars. You could tell they were a little on edge, but we knew driving in Paris wasn’t going to be a scenic drive on Sunday afternoon. Bret & I, and Billy & Teri were in one car with the directions- and Shawn and Emily following us. Within 2 streets, we lost Shawn. We then proceeded to drive around Paris for 30 more minutes, getting even more lost. We drove back to the hotel to call Shawn. As we pulled back up to the hotel, the same concierge starts laughing at us and asked us if we forgot to pay the bill. We are now waiting for Shawn to return- and as you can imagine, things are a little tense in our car. We are all trying to stay calm and not totally freak out. I turned my head away just to calm down, and right then an older man walks by my window and totally farts a really loud fart. He didn’t even care, he just kept going! Let’s just say it broke the tension. </div><div><br />Driving out of Paris was a little hectic, especially when the GPS is telling you to go the wrong way. Nevertheless, we made it to Honfleur. It’s a port town in Normandy and it’s AWESOME. Way more than we expected- we instantly wished we had more time. Our perfect little bed and breakfast didn’t have rooms available for us for one more day, otherwise we would have stayed. Dare I say- it’s everything you think France will be plus more. Emily and I roamed the town while the others saw the D-Day beaches and the museum. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHixz7oYeT9sMBZi3Fl9mqPiTrA1X-ho35CF-jws-uy0QfdtRX6QwslEsSf_tD_jYcBkm4oLjNnygUf71ClZpfiK5u4VjwuEHM6gjRH50XTNnCjxSg2o6wa_aV9MOsVpJvDH5sUkZFnk5/s1600-h/P8040358.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367286225563978530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHixz7oYeT9sMBZi3Fl9mqPiTrA1X-ho35CF-jws-uy0QfdtRX6QwslEsSf_tD_jYcBkm4oLjNnygUf71ClZpfiK5u4VjwuEHM6gjRH50XTNnCjxSg2o6wa_aV9MOsVpJvDH5sUkZFnk5/s320/P8040358.JPG" /></a></div><div>Honfleur</div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAY5-XNQ5xxFie2msfIkMmFdyYxN5ofuPV2kRNZuiJX2fiDkruzVWkn2v_CKV1idG_MON7mPIBPZvpgpbborMuN-MQaSTuyHFlr0yl7VXMJVG0CwIyBeQTBz8zMpiBf78UREdw2erJcKf4/s1600-h/P8040366.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367286233097168978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAY5-XNQ5xxFie2msfIkMmFdyYxN5ofuPV2kRNZuiJX2fiDkruzVWkn2v_CKV1idG_MON7mPIBPZvpgpbborMuN-MQaSTuyHFlr0yl7VXMJVG0CwIyBeQTBz8zMpiBf78UREdw2erJcKf4/s320/P8040366.JPG" /></a></div><div>Dinner on the harbor at night</div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXqZFIZWsID5NVvPv9YG5lD268vVnPEGyEOo9wTb78N7zoIcPXZrwjMCYdkQqEuOHUOXOv2wsQe8GLlvJYO6P-thg4NUWkx5UBxIRimcrduAbIhT904kmJNDsIJ7mNHDCOlVc-HmIETzt/s1600-h/P8060035.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367290465690813458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXqZFIZWsID5NVvPv9YG5lD268vVnPEGyEOo9wTb78N7zoIcPXZrwjMCYdkQqEuOHUOXOv2wsQe8GLlvJYO6P-thg4NUWkx5UBxIRimcrduAbIhT904kmJNDsIJ7mNHDCOlVc-HmIETzt/s320/P8060035.JPG" /></a></div><div>The street where we stayed. </div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDN8z5lB4me5quVDlQ0ApzVSQRF4cyfPWuwcEKoj74tiD0PIbedUOtArNpYye5Qgmul70TgaDKSuroVIDmHJb749kGb33Pa6QoiTHH4DWN6iN6QqT4CsP1BokcQVlD8zN4GEKlFBgEa14/s1600-h/P8040332.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367286220487908546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDN8z5lB4me5quVDlQ0ApzVSQRF4cyfPWuwcEKoj74tiD0PIbedUOtArNpYye5Qgmul70TgaDKSuroVIDmHJb749kGb33Pa6QoiTHH4DWN6iN6QqT4CsP1BokcQVlD8zN4GEKlFBgEa14/s320/P8040332.JPG" /></a><br />This was our spiral staircase up to our bedroom. It is barely wide enough to get our carry-on bags thru. I can only imagine what the Livengood's trip was like in places like these with 6 people and large luggage. The woman told us we don't need alcohol if we have to walk up these stairs. There was no railing- just a rope tied to the top from the bottom to hold onto. </div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrdbJYbizwpytcKwfKhMaeyEURpSMoBbh_0eayDUG8uLEBJ8qKQZIIija3qTyZnVqoBLTdtAusEdstiPwwxRmJiIVjIx9un-lM1kc4hnTnu-JSSlANsNqfTCUe5zyzYkK5EgHEKF0rBmx/s1600-h/P8060031.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367290469496773698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrdbJYbizwpytcKwfKhMaeyEURpSMoBbh_0eayDUG8uLEBJ8qKQZIIija3qTyZnVqoBLTdtAusEdstiPwwxRmJiIVjIx9un-lM1kc4hnTnu-JSSlANsNqfTCUe5zyzYkK5EgHEKF0rBmx/s320/P8060031.JPG" /></a></div><div>The courtyard at our B&B</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEila2KEJjFC5fD236N-ynkPT8ODdvYbUT4ssUUbRg7y9IYCoKlrowf89l5fU9LKIwiJRUa6fzP0qwltABUnsGfdj2kyRIpmWuKUB_C3wb2YSTfNID6PoiG0cVewE9ItLvoZaFvrgzYLGYAt/s1600-h/P8050013.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367290451640136418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEila2KEJjFC5fD236N-ynkPT8ODdvYbUT4ssUUbRg7y9IYCoKlrowf89l5fU9LKIwiJRUa6fzP0qwltABUnsGfdj2kyRIpmWuKUB_C3wb2YSTfNID6PoiG0cVewE9ItLvoZaFvrgzYLGYAt/s320/P8050013.JPG" /></a></div><div>Photo shoot on the water (By the way- carousels are all over France- what's the deal?)</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-mL57LPnASFvq5nSV2DEnsGeh1gxZjjXkwxcD8Nha-0SGPisXWgaGsIXeNod9MnoR2eDlgtAPGoZaDwzR2Hchiv-DtOwWnapacmGjbXUac38WY7v_pGySc3r_IZufWuz2dG9KewlPLtv/s1600-h/DSC00702.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367294331539513426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-mL57LPnASFvq5nSV2DEnsGeh1gxZjjXkwxcD8Nha-0SGPisXWgaGsIXeNod9MnoR2eDlgtAPGoZaDwzR2Hchiv-DtOwWnapacmGjbXUac38WY7v_pGySc3r_IZufWuz2dG9KewlPLtv/s320/DSC00702.JPG" /></a></div><div>Even models need to eat! You can get beer and walk around in France- it's awesome. </div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35_jtK5leK-7xxdP3k7QZqINHhSEqhITANY1RRqvEqnTqe27tPZrGuVut6ExPQwRufjyYqaNkYFa_pdUbZGKbaZ-zs1tzm1C8e-h0gg3y2zWflCpwl7ThSDBDDDbFx4EqEdXrw_ejBVdY/s1600-h/CIMG2359.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367294319667507938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35_jtK5leK-7xxdP3k7QZqINHhSEqhITANY1RRqvEqnTqe27tPZrGuVut6ExPQwRufjyYqaNkYFa_pdUbZGKbaZ-zs1tzm1C8e-h0gg3y2zWflCpwl7ThSDBDDDbFx4EqEdXrw_ejBVdY/s320/CIMG2359.JPG" /></a></div><div>Boys at the D-Day beaches...had to represent P-Town!</div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7TZ5C8kvq28QZ9ragi98Mxjm5o-K3YhifZkK6FUwV52O0D_UT1qD_FW0aK93eYM_xNN8kHdqt95HREwtGL8vKFmpKFoeICnbJjRnX2f_WwxUkDKGY8beCAXEmVqnvPgDSXVLSUndQs2f/s1600-h/P8050021.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367290454741135170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7TZ5C8kvq28QZ9ragi98Mxjm5o-K3YhifZkK6FUwV52O0D_UT1qD_FW0aK93eYM_xNN8kHdqt95HREwtGL8vKFmpKFoeICnbJjRnX2f_WwxUkDKGY8beCAXEmVqnvPgDSXVLSUndQs2f/s320/P8050021.JPG" /></a></div><div>Eating in is alot cheaper than eating out- our 23 Euro dinner for 6! (including wine)</div><div>By the way, the wine for the most part is good. Just ask the locals what they like and its usually good and cheaper. During this dinner, Teri said the Quote du Jour- Out of no where she says, " I was thinking about this cat....and this cat- it doesn't know it's in France.." Way to go Teri! She's ahead on the quotes.</div><div> </div><div>Typical, but the pictures don’t do it justice, and it’s got something about it that Paris lacks. We all agree, we would love to come back here!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>B MAChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00555796925070389571noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674020731880631811.post-25104033310028282322009-08-05T22:25:00.000-07:002009-08-07T07:51:21.238-07:00It's Not Personal...It's Just the Longest Blog Entry Ever!After breakfast Monday, we checked out and tried to ship our one garment bag home. After finding out it would be 300 euros – which is like a million dollars because our money is worth NOTHING here- we left to check in at our next hotel. This one is closer to the Eiffel Tower and was very French, with a cute courtyard.<br /><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrbz5hFQJkMu0FE1UyIy_6jPfoFFlnS-vVKk9-3bK2euP5Ljna423NZQFkmQMkTQxy0SW1PaekHLyiQ5j7LRH9ysUHE3eVbWs1SSmeKVL6Kba28t7aX0RI-ja5APWNlubaWRZX7Sj6Hf0/s1600-h/P8040316.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367233422579956162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrbz5hFQJkMu0FE1UyIy_6jPfoFFlnS-vVKk9-3bK2euP5Ljna423NZQFkmQMkTQxy0SW1PaekHLyiQ5j7LRH9ysUHE3eVbWs1SSmeKVL6Kba28t7aX0RI-ja5APWNlubaWRZX7Sj6Hf0/s320/P8040316.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><div><div><div><div>The concierge told us to take the bus to the Louvre, and told us how much it would be. Turns out he was way off. Bret, Jessica, Billy, and Teri scrambled on the bus to get the right change, but Shawn and Emily didn’t have enough and they missed the bus. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>While the 4 of us were outside the Louvre waiting for the 2 others to catch up, a brother approached Billy and Bret because they were also wearing their badges. He had 2 extra tickets he accidentally bought and gave them to the guys. Just another example of how Jehovah will take care of us if we just obey him- in large things and small.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Once we got into the Louvre, we were in yet another line, and a girl from England saw Bret’s badge and asked about it. He told her he was a Jehovah’s Witness and was here for a convention. She was a bit puzzled for a moment, and then said to the woman that was with her, “Oh, hey they are the ones that came to our door.” Then she turned to us and said, “You guys know everything about the Bible, right? I’d like to know more about the Bible.” We almost thought someone was playing a joke on us. When we checked in for the convention, we were given a packet of French invitations to the convention and the “Would you like to know the Truth?” brochures. Of course the one person that is really sincere in asking us what we were doing here speaks English and all we have is French literature! Jessica gave her the brochure anyway, and showed her the back to fill out for a Bible Teach book. The girl asked how much it was, and we told her it was free. She was really impressed by that and said she would definitely send in the request. </div><div> </div><div>These things happened all because we were wearing our badges- even after the convention. In such a large, foreign place we could have felt alone and unsafe. But since we saw brothers and sisters EVERYWHERE (literally), it was really nice. You see a badge and you instantly know you have something in common with that person. This time, the worldly people noticed that they were the minority- surrounded by witnesses. It makes me think what it would be like if we wore badges everywhere...</div><br /><br /><div>The Louvre can be done in 2 hours- you just have to not care to see anything! We didn’t have a lot of time, so we made a beeline to the Mona Lisa. Imagine being at a concert, and you are on the floor trying to get through the hot, stinky crowd. A few whiffs of B.O. and there you are up at the front of the stage. Only, instead of your favorite band, there is some little, weird lady smirking at you. You stare back for a few minutes while people are leaning on you, breathing down your neck, and then you get the heck out of there. That’s how I describe seeing the Mona Lisa. </div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_MgvSOKg7_qfQTpuJvMoFXLpKJg5bAKrxm4x_ymzEewXMxWE7B5RtU7-cmVaBeq14Hhp3LcBuef9PuGbb8PPwZ7nNiSeVmlE7y3H7Tql5glykj-GNcM5E1vYuHT834BEfNgImkNbWXzM/s1600-h/P8030155.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366749626618162786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_MgvSOKg7_qfQTpuJvMoFXLpKJg5bAKrxm4x_ymzEewXMxWE7B5RtU7-cmVaBeq14Hhp3LcBuef9PuGbb8PPwZ7nNiSeVmlE7y3H7Tql5glykj-GNcM5E1vYuHT834BEfNgImkNbWXzM/s320/P8030155.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><div>Where's Mona?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhCWMTG1tjC_gpOBXki7lcsmpcfjJpVt-4hgjt38gvqBD-9MoF7q62BLrKIzfZtc7FTPNhxLMeYhTFe9CDSLJkNO9UfuvY2kdoZnppzhQ-9Wl9t_virFhgNmQU6QtFS4AH4BIe1qslbjO/s1600-h/P8030200.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366751052944525218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhCWMTG1tjC_gpOBXki7lcsmpcfjJpVt-4hgjt38gvqBD-9MoF7q62BLrKIzfZtc7FTPNhxLMeYhTFe9CDSLJkNO9UfuvY2kdoZnppzhQ-9Wl9t_virFhgNmQU6QtFS4AH4BIe1qslbjO/s320/P8030200.JPG" /></a><br />She looks different up close...</div><br /><div><br />We then went to see some things on a do-it-yourself Bible tour. If we got lost, we would just follow the convention badges. The highlight was the Moabite stone, that has Jehovah’s name on it. Very cool. This was of course where all the witnesses were- it was a little crowd and not as stinky as the Mona Lisa. The Louvre is a feat in itself. Every room is so ornate, and it goes on forever. It’s definitely a must see if you have time- just don’t go during busy season.</div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3Msz4Ut0Bzn9IcU_bSlx6KqI6ieb7PLRM7ZDNFRChvmA6jYQizVumxMLe0vUrK8Pxbmf3XCowHvfH0NYIl0QQbVFbNQv6oVKd8hTuM8FKPBOugFR7c10_B12xByaJeghXpZdUCGP1CHh/s1600-h/P8030183.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366750181534506818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3Msz4Ut0Bzn9IcU_bSlx6KqI6ieb7PLRM7ZDNFRChvmA6jYQizVumxMLe0vUrK8Pxbmf3XCowHvfH0NYIl0QQbVFbNQv6oVKd8hTuM8FKPBOugFR7c10_B12xByaJeghXpZdUCGP1CHh/s320/P8030183.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div>Witness mosh pit..<br /><br />Next, we made our way to the Montmarte area to see the Sacre Couer and grab some lunch. A brother we met at the convention ran out when he saw us wandering the street. We went into the café he was at with some friends and ate. Oh and by the way- Dave, the term “ESB” and “IPA” don’t exist in Paris. The beer is watery at best. Hopefully it will be better in London.<br />One of the girls we met at the café is from New Zealand (she knows Leif!), but has lived in Paris for the past 6 years. She proceeded to tell us about the difference between the French and the rest of the world. This brings us to the Quote du Jour, “The French don’t care about you-they don’t care about anybody. It’s just not personal…they just don’t care. It’s quite liberating actually.” You could say this was our “Ah-ha moment” a la Oprah-style. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_EJZWEdIcWexCqi3cCKQLn4dh-EECngCEovSV9FYy69w5IBrMTZVTXllyvmQELJDNEPbQLQ5rGbq16hCK-9YYPywDqb-7QZnSBjBbkmyQSI7RWePxKDAYUm9z9bbyiisLhJbf1uTITYS/s1600-h/P8030213.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366751656804850674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_EJZWEdIcWexCqi3cCKQLn4dh-EECngCEovSV9FYy69w5IBrMTZVTXllyvmQELJDNEPbQLQ5rGbq16hCK-9YYPywDqb-7QZnSBjBbkmyQSI7RWePxKDAYUm9z9bbyiisLhJbf1uTITYS/s320/P8030213.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div>Sacre Couer..</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The bees here are CRAZY. I have never had to swat so many bees in my life. They are everywhere and they are evil. They have been in my hair, in my face on my glasses- even in the porto-potty at the convention. One in particular wouldn’t leave me alone, and I almost had to run out of the porto-potty with my dress up around my waist and my underwear at my feet. It was the fastest bathroom break ever! I thought it was a miracle no one has been stung yet. Well, today at the café, Teri got stung. Every bee that came around after got smashed into the window behind us thanks to Bret’s shoe. Hitting things onto the glass probably added to the stupid loud tourist reputation that we have!</div><br /><br /><div>We walked around the area for a bit. Then we split up- Bret and I went to meet with my Aunt and Uncle at the Champs-Elysees. The others stayed longer to see more of the area, including the Moulin Rouge, then met up. Paris is expensive in general, but the Champs-Elysees is a very expensive part of town. All the designer shops and fancy restaurants are there. I was soooo thirsty, so I ordered water in the lobby while waiting for everyone. Turns out it was 7 Euros, which is like a 9 dollar bottle of water. This was just a foreshadow of the things to come…<br /></div><br /><div>My Aunt and Uncle live in London right now. They are letting us stay in their flat when we go, and we had to meet up and get the keys and directions. They just happened to be in Paris when we were so it worked out. We went to a cool bar for drinks- this place was really nice and also spendy. Emily ordered a half-n-half martini that came in –not a martini glass- but a beer pint glass. Turns out, all the vodka drinks that were made were accidentally made with black licorice vodka. Unless you really love licorice, they were disgusting. After, having the waiter-who spoke no English-smell the drink, he remade all the drinks. Which brings us to the new drink he made- a vodka gin and tonic. It had an interesting taste to say the least. She didn’t know the vocabulary to object in French to the drink (again), nor to dispute the 19 Euro price tag. Do the math…Ouch! With that being said, it was nice to hang out with family and it was a small price to pay for having a free place to stay in London! </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3bles02jsVzDQ6vPqqJrgK6-l_bgLoa5-dXmHjrXXZeLXDVurRSROTFtOuMjg-J2us5EOO2-tIUzCIE0QoImOPF_ChnWHVyFm9jjbLCfED-HbIFtGeP6n1yCVsVUgiKKmABE3cl-8P3-/s1600-h/DSC00611.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366748316453015938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3bles02jsVzDQ6vPqqJrgK6-l_bgLoa5-dXmHjrXXZeLXDVurRSROTFtOuMjg-J2us5EOO2-tIUzCIE0QoImOPF_ChnWHVyFm9jjbLCfED-HbIFtGeP6n1yCVsVUgiKKmABE3cl-8P3-/s320/DSC00611.JPG" /></a><br />Drinking our money away....in one drink!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3RC3jSHwl3eVXbc5cOwHOWU4dAEz3x6sAu4bhceRNjMPh7lIx6gOEvNjKWt4vnAif2vFnAVmgUof5dwOy2P8GDDiJW9eI3nCD-uCyFpRvzo0fjnuc4poDyGUFB1L_MYDl58q7K4f78MA/s1600-h/DSC00614.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366749078357044050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3RC3jSHwl3eVXbc5cOwHOWU4dAEz3x6sAu4bhceRNjMPh7lIx6gOEvNjKWt4vnAif2vFnAVmgUof5dwOy2P8GDDiJW9eI3nCD-uCyFpRvzo0fjnuc4poDyGUFB1L_MYDl58q7K4f78MA/s320/DSC00614.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-IxiNsnMQLQc36vTkpeZcBhkK4PtXRymJgC61RXrfYfpj9ytkAay-vRRAlppeb1nIkPeRehqIBgYZkzUXTzmry19-NDzNq_v_5QsDbcwOCpmDBrEDffot33YUN_J4_hGQyKfOjeII6wZ/s1600-h/P8030238.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366752255280872834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-IxiNsnMQLQc36vTkpeZcBhkK4PtXRymJgC61RXrfYfpj9ytkAay-vRRAlppeb1nIkPeRehqIBgYZkzUXTzmry19-NDzNq_v_5QsDbcwOCpmDBrEDffot33YUN_J4_hGQyKfOjeII6wZ/s320/P8030238.JPG" /></a></div><br /><br /><div>My aunt, uncle, and cousins....they say hi!<br /></div><br /><br /><div>We wrapped up the longest day of our lives, by seeing the Arc de Triomphe. We were so tired, and poor by then that we didn’t want to pay and wait in line to walk up to the top. Nevertheless, it was cool to see and a good way to wrap up seeing Paris. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgRy595Oie-kFjTlOHyAg5bZ9oFlGxy2Q12DLfWCuAaaBYFg6LBKHLHJzbQuYdmZzRQ8ARyrcTpKzy2JzLuHjSrX6FWPv_f4DSYy0DireccMXyPvyO5Rrb4ixHBpzjwt0y44yW8qSGsxk/s1600-h/P8030263.JPG"></a> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgRy595Oie-kFjTlOHyAg5bZ9oFlGxy2Q12DLfWCuAaaBYFg6LBKHLHJzbQuYdmZzRQ8ARyrcTpKzy2JzLuHjSrX6FWPv_f4DSYy0DireccMXyPvyO5Rrb4ixHBpzjwt0y44yW8qSGsxk/s1600-h/P8030263.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366752739113927698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgRy595Oie-kFjTlOHyAg5bZ9oFlGxy2Q12DLfWCuAaaBYFg6LBKHLHJzbQuYdmZzRQ8ARyrcTpKzy2JzLuHjSrX6FWPv_f4DSYy0DireccMXyPvyO5Rrb4ixHBpzjwt0y44yW8qSGsxk/s320/P8030263.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>The guys at the Arc de Triumph</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>B MAChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00555796925070389571noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674020731880631811.post-54925219017431771472009-08-05T22:23:00.000-07:002009-08-06T00:13:35.909-07:00The Best Breakfast Yet<div>Monday morning it was time for one last breakfast with our brothers and sisters. We got to visit more with our bus captain Pete and his wife Deborah. They are in the circuit work in a rural part of North Carolina. One night,5 years ago, Pete was eating and his food wouldn’t go down his throat. The doctor told him he had esophageal cancer. With the painful surgery and chemo, he had a 5% chance of surviving. Those who do survive, end up dying of malnutrition because the pain of eating is too much to bear. Despite this, Pete had no doubt that he was going to be in that 5% who live. The organization gave him 2 months off to take care of his health, otherwise he would be taken out of the circuit work. </div><br /><div>With a positive mind, and reliance on Jehovah, he was back in 2 months. His doctor said it’s a miracle that he is alive and in the good condition he is all because of his positive mindset. He says focusing on the ministry and the congregation is the reason he’s still alive and continues as a circuit overseer. He still continues to be in pain, but you would never know it. We had no idea up until now. He’s always cracking jokes (funny ones at that) and smiling. We will miss seeing him and his wife every morning.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqS3j7Pk4P8p0uR6G5C4Y9sSpeq3lvH4GWYKFYLhG64mgiUzP1p0bluOXQSKhDZlMXCHAcXVKbDUtfuyv8QdtqcDaz9v-ptEw4ftegMolE2tv6njVtHcMxI1dlZkXtwiJIzIU8n2TwVPSL/s1600-h/P8020118.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366745183564377234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqS3j7Pk4P8p0uR6G5C4Y9sSpeq3lvH4GWYKFYLhG64mgiUzP1p0bluOXQSKhDZlMXCHAcXVKbDUtfuyv8QdtqcDaz9v-ptEw4ftegMolE2tv6njVtHcMxI1dlZkXtwiJIzIU8n2TwVPSL/s320/P8020118.JPG" /></a></div><div>Here's Pete doing the bus captain thing- sorry I don't have a better picture!</div>B MAChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00555796925070389571noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674020731880631811.post-74049103386825128682009-08-04T23:57:00.000-07:002009-08-06T00:08:20.630-07:00Last Day :(As usual, the last day always comes before you know it. We were determined to talk to as many people as we could so we could get rid of the rest of our awesome magnets and bookmarks that no one wants. We can't hand them out back at home, because that would be weird :)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9uXAHm855NfdgnEqlytDfnLAluqXtbwWQkIOAMS1oVp-9fAaHXtGKby4_RI6YmcNy2DsH3RnI3i8TLPglidC7YCITeXZo4Dtk44bFBAJ-lsiTOOFyzFk4b6KJrbNzwr6KcErQnihgwiV/s1600-h/DSC00495.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366739313147517346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9uXAHm855NfdgnEqlytDfnLAluqXtbwWQkIOAMS1oVp-9fAaHXtGKby4_RI6YmcNy2DsH3RnI3i8TLPglidC7YCITeXZo4Dtk44bFBAJ-lsiTOOFyzFk4b6KJrbNzwr6KcErQnihgwiV/s320/DSC00495.JPG" /></a><br />A sign from our Polish brothers and sisters<br /><br />Brother Lett of the Governing Body gave a surprise special talk during lunch entitled, "More are with you than against you." He talked about how we may have the whole world against us, but we have our brothers & sisters, the faithful and discreet slave, the angels, Jesus, and Jehovah on our side. Even though it was a short talk, it was so encouraging! He traveled around to all the different groups to deliver this talk during lunch and we were the first group. It's very heartwarming to think he sacrificed his lunchtime to encourage us all.<br /><div><div><div> </div><div>The rest of the lunch we had planned to visit the other groups, but there were so many visiting the english that there was no way we could make it before the drama. It was the first time Bret and I got to see the whole entire drama. It was interesting to see all the differences. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7gEKbWP38aA8fnjn0gQSEgldao3kNuvBAZ-jBOR-YJc3Bk69uHnCTVEKAAjQDTKRskRvaccmPuOxDyymcQkE-A5fsCNjZmFJJMdv114VxhjR1e23z-9BDkQuPF24k_gj87rClo_fV-pj/s1600-h/P8020050.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366741080765248786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7gEKbWP38aA8fnjn0gQSEgldao3kNuvBAZ-jBOR-YJc3Bk69uHnCTVEKAAjQDTKRskRvaccmPuOxDyymcQkE-A5fsCNjZmFJJMdv114VxhjR1e23z-9BDkQuPF24k_gj87rClo_fV-pj/s320/P8020050.JPG" /></a></div><div>Star and Esther- Here's our scene!<br /><br />After the drama, there were alot of people crying outside the facility. We also got to meet the sister that was the voice of Brittany (the girl that Laura played in our drama). She just so happens to be married to Tim Blaisedell. He says hi mom and dad!</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5vW3BAzau3iP7mbhAgyl04qImdggmRAzrn3dnTWu-eqEg3ymRI5f8XFXi5p63l7sYHQ6mYr6iHY3eRqjujLFo_mKB5a8HcdVtRDxZ34rQ0c2q00fbndCztBWuMWsIUxYlMA8Q_Y3JaOWP/s1600-h/P8020132.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366742496449608066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5vW3BAzau3iP7mbhAgyl04qImdggmRAzrn3dnTWu-eqEg3ymRI5f8XFXi5p63l7sYHQ6mYr6iHY3eRqjujLFo_mKB5a8HcdVtRDxZ34rQ0c2q00fbndCztBWuMWsIUxYlMA8Q_Y3JaOWP/s320/P8020132.JPG" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>The last talk of the day, Brother Lett said, “The Faithful and Discreet Slave has started making plans for next year’s 3 day convention. But, one of these days, the next convention will be in the New System.” He went on to say, although we do not know the day or the hour, if this convention is the last one in Satan’s system, it was a fitting one.<br /></div><div>Total attendance at this convention: 59,598<br />Total attendance in France: 161,560<br />Missionaries that came back to France: 311<br />Baptised at our convention in Paris: 330<br />Baptised in all of France: 917</div><div><br />We sang 2 songs, and then Brother Lett gave the prayer from which the Quote du Jour comes from: “Please, Jehovah, help us not to be losers.”</div><div><br /> We then sang 5 more songs after the prayer. Earlier that day, they made an announcement not to do the wave or rhythmic clapping after the session because it didn’t have a place in Jehovah’s house. There was one sister walking/dancing her way down the aisles waving her hands in the air with a scarf. People were videotaping all the singing. Even though we weren’t together with the other groups, it was still moving. We just hoped we didn’t sing Life Without End at Last- because everyone would totally lose it! </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-l1O7gOZU8QWQG4mvZObWC09mhhxRq16O373Tc0R5UrYlPz7x-lp3q20rP-_pRAnrEcHYSimv69iXOFJMX2BKPRTXJxVIJ2TRvSkJSkD9xcMltVI6NYuMTdj88ITUnWjn9OazEnvkS-j/s1600-h/DSC00490.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366734776440513490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-l1O7gOZU8QWQG4mvZObWC09mhhxRq16O373Tc0R5UrYlPz7x-lp3q20rP-_pRAnrEcHYSimv69iXOFJMX2BKPRTXJxVIJ2TRvSkJSkD9xcMltVI6NYuMTdj88ITUnWjn9OazEnvkS-j/s320/DSC00490.JPG" /></a><br />After the session, people were saying their goodbyes. A brother and sister approached me and asked if I was from anywhere else besides Oregon. I told them my maiden name, and that I have family in Hawaii. They are Brother and Sister Ockert – he is a C.O. in Hawaii, and had just visited my grandma along another brother we know back there. It was nice to know she was being looked after when we can’t be there. This was especially amazing since I had just been thinking about my Grandma that day. Jehovah always knows what you need at the time you need it. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX83RuwSQBqVj-03RYM_fSv1mFmz3BpU-QVyn-1-dW9BLzkwGpseTixBWOGJJfHRjvPa556Tv5dbltWG23BdaoCW6toLG_xG-Jf0Tcasq-e5TyMt30fvd2cg99p_EcaYB5BMpf2ywX_E4E/s1600-h/P8020105.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366741820268813906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX83RuwSQBqVj-03RYM_fSv1mFmz3BpU-QVyn-1-dW9BLzkwGpseTixBWOGJJfHRjvPa556Tv5dbltWG23BdaoCW6toLG_xG-Jf0Tcasq-e5TyMt30fvd2cg99p_EcaYB5BMpf2ywX_E4E/s320/P8020105.JPG" /></a><br /><br />This was just one example of us meeting people ALL OVER THE WORLD that know people back home. It really is quite amazing. It has been so encouraging to us. I personally have not talked to so many circuit overseers in my life. I am usually very scared of them! I hope I don’t sound braggy- its such a great experience that you want to share it with everyone. The only thing missing was all our family and friends back home. (Awe) The French sisters were singing songs as we all were leaving. Everyone saying goodbye- very bittersweet. If you have a chance to go- GO! Even if you can just go for the actual convention. It’s not cheap, but it’s well worth it. Jehovah won’t let you down. We all agreed if there is another international, we want to be there again. No regrets. </div></div></div>B MAChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00555796925070389571noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674020731880631811.post-65067443254630486272009-08-03T23:10:00.000-07:002009-08-03T23:25:08.982-07:00Better Late Than Never...The past 2 days, our group has been one of the first ones to leave for the convention so we had no problem finding 6 seats together. Saturday was another story! Our bus was one of the last ones to leave and there was bad traffic. We got to the convention late and there were no seats in the English- at all. There were at least a couple hundred of us standing in the back because of no seats. We ended up sitting on the floor for a while, and eventually the brothers found seats for 4 of us. We would rotate the seats so everyone would get a chance to sit in a chair. We tried to sit in another language group, but there weren't any seats there either! <div><div><div><div><div><br />Emily and Teri volunteered to help clean since there weren’t enough seats, and there was a need for volunteers. They ended up cleaning the bathrooms (which stunk!) for 2 ½ hours! They were supposed to only help for 1 hour, but no one came to relieve them! </div><div><br />We had bathrooms in the facility, and there were outhouses set up on the outside of our section. One side is for the sisters, although occasionally a brother would be in there(it was open so anyone could walk around). The other side was for the guys. They had covered urinals set up, but there were no doors so the guys felt like they were peeing next to a tree. Occasionally there would be sisters on that side too- but they would be taking pictures usually.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXvNp7Cc7-NHUcEKHt2z869Cwbx88qfjLPEnzPdyWKoz1RNCRGaCpWCwQ6BI0CQ5meIdVKL0kvhbmHf9ZQ9Ek6BGaCb5hBXEWkRW5mCrDGCIVMDBOGohz9UIK6MWsFcGHr3owbORR_hdsP/s1600-h/P7310032.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365989209976890578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXvNp7Cc7-NHUcEKHt2z869Cwbx88qfjLPEnzPdyWKoz1RNCRGaCpWCwQ6BI0CQ5meIdVKL0kvhbmHf9ZQ9Ek6BGaCb5hBXEWkRW5mCrDGCIVMDBOGohz9UIK6MWsFcGHr3owbORR_hdsP/s320/P7310032.JPG" /></a></div><div>Total attendance for Saturday: 54,425 people </div><div><br />That night, we were so tired so we just ate in our room again. We were talking about Skyping people back home- this brings us to the “Quote du Jour”:<br />Billy: “What’s with all these scabies?”<br />The rest of us: “It’s not SCABIES, it’s SKYPE.”</div><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvYvWNtA0u8Ba19Phyl8e1nT-z9dw_rgx8bGqUPtlAEzPGGwYlTv5HDfwvOJQPqFhjxcW80IlY1ohvdS85N4M8D8jO6A8rdp52xAwXeZSWJNfgK3TYlVfrSvaeSdaoQuh-vEcTMe4Dc83/s1600-h/P8010156.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365989232769507890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvYvWNtA0u8Ba19Phyl8e1nT-z9dw_rgx8bGqUPtlAEzPGGwYlTv5HDfwvOJQPqFhjxcW80IlY1ohvdS85N4M8D8jO6A8rdp52xAwXeZSWJNfgK3TYlVfrSvaeSdaoQuh-vEcTMe4Dc83/s320/P8010156.JPG" /></a></div><div>Cute little french girl</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInnwa6IF9QGI7RpbJxUOtR0-vvGTZH3DUUPoLRK0pl57LQVAB99GeZwNqcY2J24CJoRSSRt2oGigMho9uNTnx0mfR4Cq_Mr1dm8m-PjIw8CNMbRnoOmknwc93SOhVHX10YPs76eNvxrbM/s1600-h/P8010154.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365989227384260850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInnwa6IF9QGI7RpbJxUOtR0-vvGTZH3DUUPoLRK0pl57LQVAB99GeZwNqcY2J24CJoRSSRt2oGigMho9uNTnx0mfR4Cq_Mr1dm8m-PjIw8CNMbRnoOmknwc93SOhVHX10YPs76eNvxrbM/s320/P8010154.JPG" /></a></div><div>Filipino sisters in the Tagalog congregation- Jessica told them she was filipino 3 times and they didn't believe her.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKjS_82ajB36WksZrYLjrx5ITEAqXW5MgGwnfj9htdC1JVeb2wZZ1D_dwpOfECxbZG0I_hw6pJ-O_rZYqLlIzcel97grgy2ARe6B4uhByTpGhmseD7ZSsiqsQG4IaEG51m9GOhlRo_ILL/s1600-h/P8010164.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365989213541543538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKjS_82ajB36WksZrYLjrx5ITEAqXW5MgGwnfj9htdC1JVeb2wZZ1D_dwpOfECxbZG0I_hw6pJ-O_rZYqLlIzcel97grgy2ARe6B4uhByTpGhmseD7ZSsiqsQG4IaEG51m9GOhlRo_ILL/s320/P8010164.JPG" /></a></div><div>South African outfit</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWAmIRNkd0wwy6_P8TNN5Y1r7Hd9Uk0VcoAOobLVDblb0w7CUSOqe1LaSEobIduPQOcwcKvrMFO0L3rYwJYAjfurjeYtGCAYyqvpGpGugcuomY5mJSdem4Fe1Zg3sP2J12bNr2A7vzOC4e/s1600-h/P8010163.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365989218838542418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWAmIRNkd0wwy6_P8TNN5Y1r7Hd9Uk0VcoAOobLVDblb0w7CUSOqe1LaSEobIduPQOcwcKvrMFO0L3rYwJYAjfurjeYtGCAYyqvpGpGugcuomY5mJSdem4Fe1Zg3sP2J12bNr2A7vzOC4e/s320/P8010163.JPG" /></a></div><div>Wonderful brothers and sisters from France.</div></div></div></div></div>B MAChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00555796925070389571noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674020731880631811.post-76019488125627095692009-08-03T22:53:00.000-07:002009-08-03T23:09:58.548-07:00Reports From Other Lands...<div><div><div><div>The convention program was pretty much the same as ours except twice a day, we would hear a special part of the program called “Reports from Other Lands” . This was- you guessed it- reports from other countries on their theocratic activity. As mentioned before, there were 2 other conventions in France going on the same time as ours- one in Lyon and one in Bordeaux. For this part,we were tied in to these conventions to hear the experiences from a Bethel family member from that country. Here are some highlights:</div><br /><div>French Guana- A worldly man looked up our website and submitted a request for a visit from witnesses. 48 hrs later, a brother knocked on his door. He was amazed that he had submitted a request to the USA and 2 days later he was contacted in his own country. He attends meetings now.</div><br /><div>Luxembourg- There are 5 members at the Bethel branch. In their country, government officials visit citizens on their 100th birthday. A sister was turning 100, and she refused to have any visitors or pictures on her birthday- but she said she would accept a visit after that day. 4 days later, the Mayor, the family minister of the Duke of Luxembourg, and other city officials visited her because they wanted to know about her life. She explained to them that prior to being a witness, she had been in concentration camps. She couldn’t understand why these so-called Christians were causing all this suffering. She explained she then learned about the Bible and she showed these officials scriptures explaining her beliefs for the next 30 mins. With old age, the sister was unable to see clearly to read, but she knew the Bible teach book by heart. She placed the book with each official and they all said they really would read it. </div><br /><div>France- has 9,500 pioneers which is double than what they had 5 years ago. Many are learning multiple languages. There are 517 congregations and groups that are in 41 languages other than French. There are 360 members of the Bethel family.</div><br /><div>Spain- I didn’t take good notes on Spain, but the English translator for this experience was Sebastian DelGrande. I don’t know if you remember, but he’s the French brother that gave a talk at our convention in Portland this past year. He’s really tall!</div><br /><div>Martinique- They have 56 congregations and cover their territory every 2 weeks! As of 2008, they have 1 publisher per 89 inhabitants. The city mayor of one of the towns put a sign up on the road to the kingdom hall that says “Entrance to the Kingdom.”</div><br /><div>Tahiti- 1 of 14 publishers is a pioneer. 1 of 30 inhabitants attended the memorial in 2008.<br />Ukraine- Around 144,000 publishers. In one village, every 4th person is a witness. In the same village, over half went to the memorial.<br /></div><div>We also heard experiences from:<br />Cote D’Ivoire<br />Guadelupe<br />Switzerland<br />Portugal<br />Brazil<br />Canada<br />Poland<br />Maurites<br />New Caledonia<br />Belgium<br />South Africa<br />United States</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqsW1v9YlI6mdoFt6O_sGzbnhKPV5J0cX3brxQ-vTDbwb9ldEG-Xl2DF32F7uDSAfymgisepwpE_Y4cZxEyzfEdFGVHELMYwJMcrP3ZqviHDIARryDlDFWaXCCAvItyom3PX2Owyxdtm_/s1600-h/P7300014.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365984284717098130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqsW1v9YlI6mdoFt6O_sGzbnhKPV5J0cX3brxQ-vTDbwb9ldEG-Xl2DF32F7uDSAfymgisepwpE_Y4cZxEyzfEdFGVHELMYwJMcrP3ZqviHDIARryDlDFWaXCCAvItyom3PX2Owyxdtm_/s320/P7300014.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div>Sisters wrapping a Sari- it's more complicated than it looks!</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZANvGnxpbhCYxkgnWxE7RPF31_jdUv7s8ALZvMM-J2GItnSTBo2z4403f5uoWb8WMpZgGPs_HOhBq9RKh3DdEhsna795DsjHfJ8O8C2TMLiwawQtl_6sK7x45yyXp_NkjXzgZAFrgkNL6/s1600-h/P7300017.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365984286188824850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZANvGnxpbhCYxkgnWxE7RPF31_jdUv7s8ALZvMM-J2GItnSTBo2z4403f5uoWb8WMpZgGPs_HOhBq9RKh3DdEhsna795DsjHfJ8O8C2TMLiwawQtl_6sK7x45yyXp_NkjXzgZAFrgkNL6/s320/P7300017.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div>Brothers from South Aftrica</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZZp9lPqWWt-HRnzuhBpN-eVK7TxZyUF6j8Qu_IDetlmJy0cueeWwRW3IoPS9rGGvDJJljch6HLmCqNOULQ2PUDBLGykezeITr9aFyJ4dG74WOxUagNvTMBf1E5MAORhzu6WPFD23bSn4/s1600-h/P7310030.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365984290199840162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZZp9lPqWWt-HRnzuhBpN-eVK7TxZyUF6j8Qu_IDetlmJy0cueeWwRW3IoPS9rGGvDJJljch6HLmCqNOULQ2PUDBLGykezeITr9aFyJ4dG74WOxUagNvTMBf1E5MAORhzu6WPFD23bSn4/s320/P7310030.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div>This is Andre- he's from Poland. We talked to him all 3 days. He's such a nice brother and trys so hard to speak English to us. He could be Journeyman's brother!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKXzyjyE-JiJlj5mDWDhqsIOEOLEV7aT9vH6Uozqah-xBRlxcy4HkrOX4vl3ujhcmBz8m9nGyYG2iu3tECdEi-n4u8SHeIwQ9-GmMb5RTiXAlVd1g2ct-reG5c_j2wBfjLt11jUaKkZhC/s1600-h/P7310036.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365984301192274114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKXzyjyE-JiJlj5mDWDhqsIOEOLEV7aT9vH6Uozqah-xBRlxcy4HkrOX4vl3ujhcmBz8m9nGyYG2iu3tECdEi-n4u8SHeIwQ9-GmMb5RTiXAlVd1g2ct-reG5c_j2wBfjLt11jUaKkZhC/s320/P7310036.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div>Cowboys from good ol USA (sorry for the sideways pic)</div></div></div></div>B MAChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00555796925070389571noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674020731880631811.post-1994425223238486212009-08-01T13:33:00.000-07:002009-08-01T14:04:18.648-07:00Single Ladies, Put Your Hands Up!<div><div><div><div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ghPVTpJ7Zl0FuP0hs2EfmP6yNnfyLs5wM-mei_j5E61rIrRSStKiMstBDyEkKnZWRRZD5KGl5j05WiBXTffqqxoq_pDl5HGpbKezlBIj3IFqKEXTnLhDYUEhCj_Yfk4LdItq2vV5gOi_/s1600-h/P7310028.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365098730956634594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ghPVTpJ7Zl0FuP0hs2EfmP6yNnfyLs5wM-mei_j5E61rIrRSStKiMstBDyEkKnZWRRZD5KGl5j05WiBXTffqqxoq_pDl5HGpbKezlBIj3IFqKEXTnLhDYUEhCj_Yfk4LdItq2vV5gOi_/s320/P7310028.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>In case you didn’t know (we didn’t), the international convention is a single person’s dream! There are so many beautiful brother’s and sisters here. Not only are they good-looking, but they are very nice and many are in expanded forms of service. Add to that awesome accents and you pretty much hit the jackpot. Unfortunately, it's difficult to actually get pictures of the pretty people unless we talk to them. And who wants to talk to boring married americans? Sorry girls! The first day, we saw 2 sisters talking to a group of 6 brothers- all exchanging gifts and information- it was pretty obvious they were all single- lots of googly eyes! </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnqsYxgUtEmwMmEnUQgfm_Qokf_fHQR4pAKy9jjfkOk-CM0j10_s009sE1sNStm7zY3IL8RXGa2kfi99Ra5FbHQsXLFSmLEdT5cRhJwWLah9z8dLDczQypxGSBJrNwThRzSW8h2OMAKqAT/s1600-h/P7310042.JPG"></a> </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnqsYxgUtEmwMmEnUQgfm_Qokf_fHQR4pAKy9jjfkOk-CM0j10_s009sE1sNStm7zY3IL8RXGa2kfi99Ra5FbHQsXLFSmLEdT5cRhJwWLah9z8dLDczQypxGSBJrNwThRzSW8h2OMAKqAT/s1600-h/P7310042.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365098741865563266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnqsYxgUtEmwMmEnUQgfm_Qokf_fHQR4pAKy9jjfkOk-CM0j10_s009sE1sNStm7zY3IL8RXGa2kfi99Ra5FbHQsXLFSmLEdT5cRhJwWLah9z8dLDczQypxGSBJrNwThRzSW8h2OMAKqAT/s320/P7310042.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Super nice brothers from Paris.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>All of Jehovah’s people are awesome, but it seems us Americans are lowest on the totem pole. Everyone else speaks multiple languages. Some will say they don’t speak English, but then the next thing you know, you are having a conversation with them and they are telling you all their info- in English!</div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftywjSTQXhBI_pr0gmul95QmwxzLcyGdCXykwdP12X8wxmjb4HC8Y7sw-p1vKLP0O36Wbjpf3S3Y5DDtEj0ogzhjXIMfG5hiQFbbCahnZquvESpe7qhDQxLFQrckzQUFUQ2YmPjDlslIH/s1600-h/P7310039.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365098738624335602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftywjSTQXhBI_pr0gmul95QmwxzLcyGdCXykwdP12X8wxmjb4HC8Y7sw-p1vKLP0O36Wbjpf3S3Y5DDtEj0ogzhjXIMfG5hiQFbbCahnZquvESpe7qhDQxLFQrckzQUFUQ2YmPjDlslIH/s320/P7310039.JPG" /></a></div><br /><br /><div>This brother was raised in Portugal, lives in France, but is still Korean at heart. He speaks all 3 languages too. Thumbs up! </div><br /><br /><div><br />Their clothes, accents, faces, backgrounds- even their gifts are better. When someone can't speak your language that doesn't know you, gives you something handmade, homemade, and unique and all you have to give to them is a bookmark you made at Kinko’s, you feel like a total loser! We will have to go to another international convention just to redeem ourselves!<br /></div><br /><div>After the session on Friday, we went on a sightseeing cruise on the Seine River. Jason and Krystal Young went with us. We got off at the last stop, which just so happened to be the Eiffel Tower. We got ice cream and beer and watched the sparkly lights at midnight. This is the third time at the Eiffel Tower and it hasn’t gotten old yet. I don’t think it will!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZne5ZSzJbvfe092awpPO5qghNXoiVEBhnQhjZPpAIhdeOQT6Fyu0tm_UUHdxdYzk27mghg4ucnNab14I0FeU9FpnZTHV18qUi1kRhVYngU_Zuk2l8RdzttD1MIo0GMmhz1ATrfBi2GFXl/s1600-h/P7310064.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365098747960487410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZne5ZSzJbvfe092awpPO5qghNXoiVEBhnQhjZPpAIhdeOQT6Fyu0tm_UUHdxdYzk27mghg4ucnNab14I0FeU9FpnZTHV18qUi1kRhVYngU_Zuk2l8RdzttD1MIo0GMmhz1ATrfBi2GFXl/s320/P7310064.JPG" /></a></div><br /><br /><div align="left">Notre Dame</div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCTYZdVjERu0zo1udqa8UiNW6fvD-ItAcOZGlTvHnFjTLEtcybJLssw0QVjGhOuwG5vGNOftT53PJRTYR5ktukyBjwTqeHa5GrZ2dacmDNeFTQpot5sEqJkEziwSre4U_o-hpoKKH-Oyk/s1600-h/P7310104.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365098750487838370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCTYZdVjERu0zo1udqa8UiNW6fvD-ItAcOZGlTvHnFjTLEtcybJLssw0QVjGhOuwG5vGNOftT53PJRTYR5ktukyBjwTqeHa5GrZ2dacmDNeFTQpot5sEqJkEziwSre4U_o-hpoKKH-Oyk/s320/P7310104.JPG" /></a></div><br /><br /><div>Boys being silly on the Seine River</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAL1giT-quKTBwvheZvRT9q4dH_D2GAVZDhlG6igRdUUECfvBMZ3PQn4XQMqjYtnHpFs3QIkaJ4d1Q5XGqCslVAq0YkT9_25QYi58YVTh850WMMXpvRArfDVfL81frKie16cCSb6N4-c9/s1600-h/P7310149.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365103101537245218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAL1giT-quKTBwvheZvRT9q4dH_D2GAVZDhlG6igRdUUECfvBMZ3PQn4XQMqjYtnHpFs3QIkaJ4d1Q5XGqCslVAq0YkT9_25QYi58YVTh850WMMXpvRArfDVfL81frKie16cCSb6N4-c9/s320/P7310149.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div>And yes, another picture of the Eiffel Tower..</div></div></div></div></div></div>B MAChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00555796925070389571noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674020731880631811.post-78897840797441117632009-08-01T12:57:00.000-07:002009-08-01T13:27:40.993-07:00First Day Jitters....<div>First day of the convention- it started in the afternoon. The afternoon started off with us trying to find seats in the English section. On the search, Shawn accidentally knocked someone’s pop can over and it spilled everywhere. Immediatley, he went to find the cleaning department- seeing as he was working with emergency spills again. Because of the language barrier, he ended up getting sent off on a wild goose chase- doing various things for the brothers. Each time he tried to explain that he needed cleaning supplies, he was sent somewhere else to help move something or clean something. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1G1wHFCEdlsSUCvIizRwVHjZycsSq3EqySR04Ctu4gwzcBhtZlugGVZBRZ0NXHmh3cqcdtl4lezZ8bNnr2SoOEryhzprA5pToRZZmMnj_qxrkUI3icFwluYkoT1_d-U_MR0l9MgVIlA6/s1600-h/DSC00297.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 233px; HEIGHT: 167px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365093546174780386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1G1wHFCEdlsSUCvIizRwVHjZycsSq3EqySR04Ctu4gwzcBhtZlugGVZBRZ0NXHmh3cqcdtl4lezZ8bNnr2SoOEryhzprA5pToRZZmMnj_qxrkUI3icFwluYkoT1_d-U_MR0l9MgVIlA6/s320/DSC00297.JPG" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8rhsQi6UdQJGisKy5z8Ifhyphenhyphenlt3Z3ipUsqErv3ZAbScLupWMPpYB-yl1l8XnPaRVO4BRtLBURJ38HPXHiaeVMCJ3Rn0qeHr3HxIkz9MzhtrZkStLqSlUnVG4RxiJUaKyFPsxIWUK8XsrY/s1600-h/DSC00296.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365092010985062482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8rhsQi6UdQJGisKy5z8Ifhyphenhyphenlt3Z3ipUsqErv3ZAbScLupWMPpYB-yl1l8XnPaRVO4BRtLBURJ38HPXHiaeVMCJ3Rn0qeHr3HxIkz9MzhtrZkStLqSlUnVG4RxiJUaKyFPsxIWUK8XsrY/s320/DSC00296.JPG" /></a><br />Not to be a Debbie downer, but we were a little disappointed to find that we weren’t going to be in a giant arena where everyone is all together. Our facility is a huge convention center with 7 different buildings or sections with each language in it’s own section. If we wanted to see people from another group, we have to walk to that building- which can be quite a long walk depending on where they are. But, don’t get us wrong- it’s such a great experience being here with all the different nationalities. It’s a bit like Epcot Center. Today we visited Poland and France!<br />For most parts, we have English speakers and then when it’s a governing body member or special report, we are tied into the French stage (which is the main stage) and we listen over the speakers to the talk.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3Zko2p1diXc8Eb-rWHZQWP3wx6mg_P2H1EffQKlBETx-GCA5ZXRvGq0VjPdo9vTPJklKBswjlUPKM8x2iDnwIVB7zBi2_nD9ibIP_w-f1KwGlzmW9kW7ABwpenCRbm5gCZdklxQObfFR/s1600-h/P7300004.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365092020865624722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3Zko2p1diXc8Eb-rWHZQWP3wx6mg_P2H1EffQKlBETx-GCA5ZXRvGq0VjPdo9vTPJklKBswjlUPKM8x2iDnwIVB7zBi2_nD9ibIP_w-f1KwGlzmW9kW7ABwpenCRbm5gCZdklxQObfFR/s320/P7300004.JPG" /></a><br />It was soooo hard to stay awake today! We were so tired, but everyone around was sleeping too, so we didn’t feel that bad. But the fact that the whole program was about keeping on the watch and staying awake to our world conditions made it worse. Every speaker seemed to have analogies or an illustration having to deal with sleep and waking up. One brother asked, “How could Jesus’ apostles could have fallen asleep the night of Jesus’ arrest?” Well, maybe they had jet lag! Not even when Jessica was nursing has she been so tired. I’m talking about the ‘sleep- with-your-mouth-open-in-public-and-you-don’t –even-care’ tired. You know it’s bad when you don’t know you are sleeping until you are woken up by applause. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7Yr-POjkOeoFlSIK8RRZzBIgv1QIWvFMPOawKE5jnpbRcMImdukELTxkzYN4gmlkeydgsmNyOVGfyaSMmwhQJx7_ZYk_f8K_v0nmpj8gOpOREnGFAi93sUZLXScIH-dJf2aA8xs_ua_O/s1600-h/P7310051.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365092030613220306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7Yr-POjkOeoFlSIK8RRZzBIgv1QIWvFMPOawKE5jnpbRcMImdukELTxkzYN4gmlkeydgsmNyOVGfyaSMmwhQJx7_ZYk_f8K_v0nmpj8gOpOREnGFAi93sUZLXScIH-dJf2aA8xs_ua_O/s320/P7310051.JPG" /></a><br />Nevertheless, we got thru the session. 3,000 English were expected to be in attendance, but today we had 5,346 English speakers and a total of 49,338 for the whole convention. In addition to the Paris convention, there are conventions being held in Bordeaux and Lyon as well. Total France convention for Thursday: approximately 149,000.<br />Our bus took 2 hours to get back to the hotel that night. By that time, it was late, so we got food at the store and ate in our room. It was just what you’d expect to eat in Paris- bread, cheese, and wine. All I can say is, the cheese definitely stands alone. Why? It’s alone because it kills everyone and everything around it with it’s FOUL STENCH. This cheese we got is the worst smelling thing ever! And if any of you are familiar with the McNulty’s, then you know we’ve dealt with our fare share of gross smells. But this cheese pretty much tops most things- sorry Laura!<br />The night was spent eating and talking- which brings us to a new addition to this blog entitled: “Quote Du Jour”. Bret was making fun of us girls wearing make-up and Teri replied:<br />“If I didn’t wear make-up, I’d look like you.” Touche' Teri, touche.'<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_YUhJDZMS2nfqgvb8_ki61i1DFveZdbCwJUhfGrtoGjT1Gk91AWqJF0adXf0V-mSPJUo14xh19nKGAnWFFjgvoRRi5PYK4U9MkWnWW-GiMflcdN7D4ZDhEYURAeuHRWFZNvi_97ukA28/s1600-h/P7300010.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365092026934110482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_YUhJDZMS2nfqgvb8_ki61i1DFveZdbCwJUhfGrtoGjT1Gk91AWqJF0adXf0V-mSPJUo14xh19nKGAnWFFjgvoRRi5PYK4U9MkWnWW-GiMflcdN7D4ZDhEYURAeuHRWFZNvi_97ukA28/s320/P7300010.JPG" /></a></div>B MAChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00555796925070389571noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674020731880631811.post-90400571602557283042009-07-29T14:51:00.000-07:002009-07-29T16:47:23.602-07:00Le Tour Eiffel + Bethel = Good times!<div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><div>Who goes to the Eiffel Tower and writes : "We saw the Eiffel Tower and watched the sunset. You get the idea." and that's it??!! I can't let that go by- THE EIFFEL TOWER IS AWESOME. We went at the perfect time- evening when it was still very light. We climed up 700 steps (its cheaper of course and shorter lines) and by the time we got up to the middle, the sun started to set. Then as we climed back down, the sun set, and the lights came on. We also met fellow brothers and sisters on the way up and down as well. It was everything you think it will be times a hundred. Well worth the lines, the fees, and the scary climb up. We went across the street to the bank of the Seine river and had crepes and beer.<br /><div>The only thing that can top the Eiffel Tower, is of course what we are really here for: Today we went on our tour. We met for breakfast in the lobby and let me tell you- Jehovah's organization does not skimp on food. We definitley had a proper breakfast! Then we drove 2 hrs to the French Bethel in the town of Louviers, in the Normandy region. </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4P8NLvzuAluH1Wyir9SSA-kKEiwnVvrmmJEjncKacl9RtHNvqI0DU6a2esbDk7vsWPcYwzdGusV1OfS9h4ToeBqPWaS9ONMJIKMRp0S61qEgpfEYC7_Ax8TeTTe2jxl4mowMxPHKaLA9/s1600-h/P7290110.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364029451780562866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4P8NLvzuAluH1Wyir9SSA-kKEiwnVvrmmJEjncKacl9RtHNvqI0DU6a2esbDk7vsWPcYwzdGusV1OfS9h4ToeBqPWaS9ONMJIKMRp0S61qEgpfEYC7_Ax8TeTTe2jxl4mowMxPHKaLA9/s320/P7290110.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgHWtx6JFn2wBPanWwBDjQ1Efqt77pZ1-LksA4XnV7pXgDExZwhwMWx1Azlm25Jvx2niSXaoRx18VgZ_t2ffncCjYt4Iz8rQwlB9xef5sT3adRfY-Ik9TwHnANPqnlM3thqoMFycSn1kV/s1600-h/P7290050.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364029434760626290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgHWtx6JFn2wBPanWwBDjQ1Efqt77pZ1-LksA4XnV7pXgDExZwhwMWx1Azlm25Jvx2niSXaoRx18VgZ_t2ffncCjYt4Iz8rQwlB9xef5sT3adRfY-Ik9TwHnANPqnlM3thqoMFycSn1kV/s320/P7290050.JPG" /></a><br /><div>The French Bethel is very clean and cute. In some parts it even looks like an Ikea- very stylish. After a good breakfast and 2 hr drive, we needed a bathroom asap. So the first stop on the tour were bathrooms set up for the tour. Little did we know, we would be squatting in heels! Very interesting. What's funny is that at the end of the tour, they had more bathrooms set up for us with REAL TOILETS. I think they did that as a joke on us. </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhbaP-_Xjvn9gyR0alhAYpz7XICuedtGvqYlNJx9HWp4-j3L-HNtH4qcYaDcFGI0aIqMMr36bmg9PMAgeFbWdFSGltebxaUZF45Z8UkdgdJmEr3h9K4VEGuGlZrubO5rV8FXJJhg_ACIG/s1600-h/P7290026.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 208px; HEIGHT: 282px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364029430782629970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhbaP-_Xjvn9gyR0alhAYpz7XICuedtGvqYlNJx9HWp4-j3L-HNtH4qcYaDcFGI0aIqMMr36bmg9PMAgeFbWdFSGltebxaUZF45Z8UkdgdJmEr3h9K4VEGuGlZrubO5rV8FXJJhg_ACIG/s320/P7290026.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>The boys were admiring the new carpet that looked like wood floors. This was humorous to the Bethelites. Weird americans taking pictures of the flooring! All the Bethel family were so nice- giving us gifts as we go along the tour. I kept making sure I still had my purse, and then I realized we were in the safest place - physically and spiritually. It was wonderful. </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lX_dctB7Q4nlbLb-GOPmq63GguDZoo5hQwImL9iFkeRROvKCd4TGizm_zhVGF56eybOCyXXn5y27wB8W-oI8ey_RXoWKueshsmA30vvkJe6iCFWx4nyg9RWweRGI4EDNHDzMS4jQrXI-/s1600-h/P7290116.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364029445632675570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lX_dctB7Q4nlbLb-GOPmq63GguDZoo5hQwImL9iFkeRROvKCd4TGizm_zhVGF56eybOCyXXn5y27wB8W-oI8ey_RXoWKueshsmA30vvkJe6iCFWx4nyg9RWweRGI4EDNHDzMS4jQrXI-/s320/P7290116.JPG" /></a><br />Family from Ukraine- one sister from Ukraine came up to Emily and I and said she loved us. It was the only English she knew. Very touching<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrInXaRGWm2L3H524MHiTqP467IAwzhcQ5Qvu6j2Ib8-NufE6ZoHqMeEaYDELqbH5ONc6qrQ_Fnv6-yqLnUQLNO_IvKM6_xd2qvZNlUrDtmWD8fU60gn1HjL9PWNKAviyl6uYWhv-bD6xT/s1600-h/P7290068.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364029437005466306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrInXaRGWm2L3H524MHiTqP467IAwzhcQ5Qvu6j2Ib8-NufE6ZoHqMeEaYDELqbH5ONc6qrQ_Fnv6-yqLnUQLNO_IvKM6_xd2qvZNlUrDtmWD8fU60gn1HjL9PWNKAviyl6uYWhv-bD6xT/s320/P7290068.JPG" /></a><br />Sisters handing out French candy. <br /><br /><div>We had boxed lunch on the way back to Paris- just a warning: if you are on the Atkins diet, don't even come to France until you are done. Our lunch was a giant baguette, a large piece of chocolate cake, and a smaller baguette-like cookie. People say even though you eat bread and cheese all day that you still lose weight because you walk everywhere. I have yet to experience this! Maybe we need to climb the Eiffel Tower again...</div><br /><div>We ended the day, driving around Paris FOR 4 MORE HOURS. We did mostly drive-bys, hopped out at like 2 places, and still did not see all of the city. Everything about the city is so planned and beautiful to the eye- its overwhelming- but not a let down in anyway. </div><div> </div><div> What good are these things if we can't share them with others? We really do miss everyone at home. The only thing that would make it better is if you all were here with us. Cheesy, but true. And that's not the jet-lag talking...</div><br /><div>~ Jessica</div></div></div></div></div>B MAChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00555796925070389571noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674020731880631811.post-71698417788302117342009-07-28T15:53:00.000-07:002009-07-28T21:24:47.568-07:00First day<div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Can’t sleep:<br />It’s 4:38 am Paris time and none of us can sleep. For the first night, we (Bret and I) are sharing a room with Shawn and Emily. They messed up on the arrangements and we have only one bed in the room. So the 6 foot people are squeezed onto a sheet on the floor. Actually, Emily is sleeping on the carpet. We all want to get up now and see the sights but there isn’t anyone else out but French hookers.<br />Just a note about London- We took a train from the airport to the Chunnel train station. It was our first experience with the native people. On the train, NO ONE talked- AT ALL. So just imagine the 6 of us loud idiots fumbling onto this train. We’ve had no sleep, and Emily and I are trying so hard not to resist talking in our English accents like we do back in the states. Everything is starting to look funny and strange with the lack of sleep. Kinda like how at the meeting everything seems funnier because you can’t talk- but it’s really not that funny when you try to talk about it later- or write a blog about it later. So, sorry if this is not funny at all guys!<br />Anyways, there were no seats and the English people on the train wouldn’t respond to politeness- no moving your stuff over so someone can sit. You just have to go and pretty much sit on that person’s stuff and they will move. Personal space is not an option here and no one cares. But it’s weird sitting so close to people without anyone saying a word-very dry.<br />They were all dressed for work (it was a Monday morning ) and all reading the paper. Another thing is everyone looks like English actors from English movies. Just from seeing this little bit on our train, England looks just like it does in the movies. I even saw little knickers hanging on a clothesline behind a cottage. -Jessica<br />Bret-That was the beginning of our day. I’ll be brief. We went to Musee d’Orsay (which is a museum for the lay person) and saw lots of nudity. Really up close and personal. And also went to the Eiffel Tower and watched the sunset. You get the idea. Enjoy the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjksRLkBPR7wJLlzVs5nfJnBtMQ2js6oAtXn4oC-2Sqo6SlPNeK12Uer5DGtVwYlPELgAphVNqPjDNydMdNt5rKh_-rR-S7D-uQU2BxyKmlJoaxDbAB5a1PRi_kRwZkQcNUbFNkLVFNRQx0/s1600-h/P7280033.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363729147767870290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjksRLkBPR7wJLlzVs5nfJnBtMQ2js6oAtXn4oC-2Sqo6SlPNeK12Uer5DGtVwYlPELgAphVNqPjDNydMdNt5rKh_-rR-S7D-uQU2BxyKmlJoaxDbAB5a1PRi_kRwZkQcNUbFNkLVFNRQx0/s320/P7280033.JPG" /></a>pics. (btw accidently posted the pictures without rotating them first. whoops)</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirX8rw_xFVmjinvZC2fpnzHJ9ueblsmBhINf81SOYie7ZlSfk-tUXY8cBAvyi70FT4LnM2jmSXru0iOD0NslXD2Dv0H6zY8NiuL9cxGcjBkH3RvVmIFOwdQv3H1HP8rO2ZnYtARq9UhGAM/s1600-h/P7280038.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363730391319119858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirX8rw_xFVmjinvZC2fpnzHJ9ueblsmBhINf81SOYie7ZlSfk-tUXY8cBAvyi70FT4LnM2jmSXru0iOD0NslXD2Dv0H6zY8NiuL9cxGcjBkH3RvVmIFOwdQv3H1HP8rO2ZnYtARq9UhGAM/s320/P7280038.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwaENOX83hBGamh-Fm9tnv_r84Hw7iidSNs8-WR8EnmCpSMH3IAkJAe4AYjoGWYx7_xCeaCEXrU-0FkxPQF5tRAyl5uWzoljiFysP-h7lKQPcaD2mOGvhJ_BH5H53wZg2ZXyLG2TtQjZG/s1600-h/P7280115.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363730393978711858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwaENOX83hBGamh-Fm9tnv_r84Hw7iidSNs8-WR8EnmCpSMH3IAkJAe4AYjoGWYx7_xCeaCEXrU-0FkxPQF5tRAyl5uWzoljiFysP-h7lKQPcaD2mOGvhJ_BH5H53wZg2ZXyLG2TtQjZG/s320/P7280115.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEojs8NOFSH7aGRzEdkwjWxmFvzUOh0EVt9PhX4hwcGGySYWhryJQ6F5mulQAk1_yDaM8YMcbsL0L7OeAnh3gweGLBG794mMx1QEyj5bOrcmCJOxd8XXsfu7ik7Uu7iJ0KTkw-O-uWeHa/s1600-h/P7280129.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 206px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363730399001294162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEojs8NOFSH7aGRzEdkwjWxmFvzUOh0EVt9PhX4hwcGGySYWhryJQ6F5mulQAk1_yDaM8YMcbsL0L7OeAnh3gweGLBG794mMx1QEyj5bOrcmCJOxd8XXsfu7ik7Uu7iJ0KTkw-O-uWeHa/s320/P7280129.JPG" /></a></div></div></div></div>B MAChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00555796925070389571noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674020731880631811.post-14218118699569007042009-07-27T03:37:00.000-07:002009-07-27T08:46:37.755-07:00You know it's going to be a good trip when it starts out with......<div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIheiW4tHMiOEhEXwxRgnQpHSNE7nXSVT7HS33F4DbSzuaNzdqJlFKIpiBMgUgBfpUMkYEoIwwS8wwKoc6DCiHOzDqj9go0cHuZEPOR56t8o8-S94no0hJroN8FRGg09LU-rsCcTvANMm/s1600-h/005.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363164125678939618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIheiW4tHMiOEhEXwxRgnQpHSNE7nXSVT7HS33F4DbSzuaNzdqJlFKIpiBMgUgBfpUMkYEoIwwS8wwKoc6DCiHOzDqj9go0cHuZEPOR56t8o8-S94no0hJroN8FRGg09LU-rsCcTvANMm/s200/005.JPG" /></a><br /><div>...A goiter! (eeewww) Interesting start to our trip…My dad has had this goiter on his neck and a week ago it swelled up. So instead of going to the doctor then, he decides to go yesterday just before it explodes! The nurse relieved it and packed it with packing and now he has a big bandage on his neck. He's gross. The worst part is, so that it doesn’t get infected, every morning for the next three days we have to remove the stuffing with sterile tweezers and repack with stuffing. And believe me it’s not as easy as a nurse makes it look. Jessica saw surgery going on on her kitchen floor at 6 am and decided it was a good time to take her tranquilizers....and it was. Saying goodbye to Phoenix could have gone alot worse but we kept it together. </div><div> Today has been the longest day ever- after a plane delay, rush to get to our connecting flight, 2 trains, speaking english to french people, speaking spanish to french people, crying everytime we see a blond child, and monitoring a goiter- we finally made it!</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zjXsE59BoFv2FZocOwdfVVAfAtx67g-yjhJI0w_sWwW8FvaQ3bp8xnfNymzbjkothse4qflJHtcCWULi98PMPHzrPvdC5PnIssLzF1-jVxfPxjtVltGyKnGYMQVEETPdxYigxuglMAoW/s1600-h/013.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363164141003297682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zjXsE59BoFv2FZocOwdfVVAfAtx67g-yjhJI0w_sWwW8FvaQ3bp8xnfNymzbjkothse4qflJHtcCWULi98PMPHzrPvdC5PnIssLzF1-jVxfPxjtVltGyKnGYMQVEETPdxYigxuglMAoW/s200/013.JPG" /></a> <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YSXzzFONOQ3qN2Vlc4cidJ1QkDwxVpFWYrMJZwLEFkbpW_wSxP1_Fou7pVsVGRPI2rVVdebrt0VJ18rD-noTe67nqB23dtfEkbAslHbxsexVNq3kl_So_-oiS-1oE0gFZsaJsoHtBAwY/s1600-h/017.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363164143733271410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YSXzzFONOQ3qN2Vlc4cidJ1QkDwxVpFWYrMJZwLEFkbpW_wSxP1_Fou7pVsVGRPI2rVVdebrt0VJ18rD-noTe67nqB23dtfEkbAslHbxsexVNq3kl_So_-oiS-1oE0gFZsaJsoHtBAwY/s200/017.JPG" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94yqPcqlxW_WSDa0vLLZ2JDcvTaYci206QTVnq881tfBQ7kajpPCskkIbTY9ZZw7jOmQ2ukYDCO-BVbNamf1_x4x5jl5FzcewROvlLfNxh5w1McU4D6y00-D0zosJoJkbfMy-hnUvN0lX/s1600-h/009.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363164130317365842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94yqPcqlxW_WSDa0vLLZ2JDcvTaYci206QTVnq881tfBQ7kajpPCskkIbTY9ZZw7jOmQ2ukYDCO-BVbNamf1_x4x5jl5FzcewROvlLfNxh5w1McU4D6y00-D0zosJoJkbfMy-hnUvN0lX/s200/009.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YSXzzFONOQ3qN2Vlc4cidJ1QkDwxVpFWYrMJZwLEFkbpW_wSxP1_Fou7pVsVGRPI2rVVdebrt0VJ18rD-noTe67nqB23dtfEkbAslHbxsexVNq3kl_So_-oiS-1oE0gFZsaJsoHtBAwY/s1600-h/017.JPG"></a> </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YSXzzFONOQ3qN2Vlc4cidJ1QkDwxVpFWYrMJZwLEFkbpW_wSxP1_Fou7pVsVGRPI2rVVdebrt0VJ18rD-noTe67nqB23dtfEkbAslHbxsexVNq3kl_So_-oiS-1oE0gFZsaJsoHtBAwY/s1600-h/017.JPG"></a> </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YSXzzFONOQ3qN2Vlc4cidJ1QkDwxVpFWYrMJZwLEFkbpW_wSxP1_Fou7pVsVGRPI2rVVdebrt0VJ18rD-noTe67nqB23dtfEkbAslHbxsexVNq3kl_So_-oiS-1oE0gFZsaJsoHtBAwY/s1600-h/017.JPG"></a> </div></div></div></div>B MAChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00555796925070389571noreply@blogger.com10