Merci!

We had such a beautiful weekend in Paris. The city had such grace, delicious food, gorgeous language, and nice people!

Walking through the city was a dream come true. I even tried speaking some French, and they usually understood at least a word of what I said! :)

We took an early flight out of Birmingham so we had plenty of time to explore our first day in the city. Our first stop was the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the place of legends. Raymond was able to view relics and garments of St. Louis (the man Raymond's home town is named after!), and I took plenty of pictures of the famous stained-glass windows.

Next we meandered through the streets, soaking in the music, sunshine, and wonderful smells coming from restaurants all over the river area. My Nutella crepe was cooked to perfection (yummmm), and before turning in for the night we went to see the famous Arc, the one Nazi's, Allied forces, and Napoleon all marched through.

The next morning we went to see one of the most famous art galleries in the world: The Lourve. You would not believe how giant the building is! We could have spent three days in the museum and not seen everything. We did however manage to see the ORIGINAL Mona Lisa (right in front of our eyes), as well as some other famous works I'm sure you will recognize in the photos below.

That afternoon we placed a lock of our own on one of Paris' most famous bridges, called the "Love-lock bridge." The tradition of couples placing a lock on a bridge and throwing the key into the river started here, in Paris, and then spread to other major cities. We locked one up with the other thousand over the Seine River, hopefully to stay there until we return someday!

Over dinner we tried true French cuisine, including Onion Soup, frog legs, and creme brûlée, and after we visited the Eiffel Tower and the Christmas Market in Paris. We found churros (we've missed them!) and other delicious goodies. Overall though, the market was very similar to the one we have in Birmingham, but much more crowded.

This morning we flew back to England, to finish our classes before we go home. I can hardly believe all the places we have had the opportunity to visit--Rome, London, Dublin, Paris--and Scotland is yet to come.

We're so thankful for the dreams that have come true!

Paris for the weekend? I'd love to!

The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder. Our time in England is drawing to a close.

Raymond describes it as a certain smell in the air... winter. It means Christmas, his birthday, and this year that we're traveling home for the holidays. We plan to thoroughly enjoy our time at home over Christmas before I start a new marketing assistant job and we both go back to school in January.

This weekend we are catching a flight to Paris! I've been doing research all afternoon to plan our three days in the beautiful city. They have the most extensive metro system in the world, which is great but it makes the map a little more confusing!

Last night we had dinner with the Board of Governors, or Trustees, and it was really interesting to meet and greet the men and women who run the school. We answered a lot of questions about Newman University in Kansas, and indulged in some great food. Many were surprised at how truly similar the schools are, in students and identity.

This institution was actually officially named a University yesterday, and dropped the "College" from the school name (kind of like we used to be named Kansas Newman College). It's an exciting announcement for everyone around!

This week we finished one of several assessments (finals). I can't wait to be done with the others! I also tried my hand at online Christmas shopping for the first time, because I know I'm getting home only a couple days before I need them all wrapped!

Good luck with your holiday preparation! Always keep in mind the reason for the season. :)

So thankful for my family!

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas! I'm sorry to all our avid readers who missed our blogging throughout the last week. I took the time to be with my family, who came to visit! Believe me, I had plenty to be thankful for!

Against all odds, I helped my mom plan a trip for my parents and little sister to come visit over Thanksgiving break. There were several times we were scared the trip would be called off, but the week finally came and all three boarded the 6am flight out of Wichita. I went to meet them in London and we had a fantastic week exploring the city and part of Ireland!

My parents had always wanted to visit Europe, but never had the chance. My choosing to study abroad gave them the excuse they needed to plan the trip and make it happen. It was great timing, as I was really starting to miss home!

We all loved London, especially my little sister who is a bit of a history buff. The British Museum is huge, and has artifacts literally from all over the world. We spent several hours there and did not see everything!

Because they only had a few days, we chose to do the "Hop-on, Hop-off" bus tour of London. It was worth the money because they were able to see a lot in a very short amount of time. We toured the Tower of London and took a boat ride down the river. We also visited the Churchill's War Rooms and they had the chance to see the National Gallery of London.

Mid-way through the week we went to Birmingham for a day and I showed them the university where I am studying. We also had a delicious outing to Cadbury World (so much chocolate!).

On a whirlwind tour, we spent Thanksgiving in Ireland. Dublin was fun, but we mainly went to hear the live music. Temple Bar did not disappoint, and we were able to enjoy two evenings full of traditional Irish tunes and ballads. The trip would not have been complete without a Guinness, Red Lemonade, and Irish coffee!

Another flight to London, and it was already time for them to leave. The week flew by, and I was sad to say goodbye in the airport this morning. I also felt bad because they were boarding for a ten hour flight to Dallas (yes, TEN). Thankfully I'll be home for Christmas in just a few short weeks. The time will fly by!

Next stop, Paris!

We ate ostrich. No joke.

Tonight we went to the German Christmas Market and absolutely loved it! The market was different than anything we had seen before, full of little specialty shops and delicious food and drink. There were several hundred vendors!

The market spanned over most the city center and we spent several hours wandering around, looking at small craft stalls. For dinner we ate some delicious Frankfurt sausages and had the best beer we've ever tasted: authentic German! Maybe Octoberfest in Germany should be moved to the top of our bucket list...

We also went way outside our food comfort zone and tried something completely different: Ostrich burgers! Seriously, we ate ostrich meat. I still feel like somehow it was a little wrong, but we were convinced that in some areas of the world ostrich is just as common as chicken. Apparently it is one of the healthiest meats available, but it tasted more like sausage than any kind of bird meat I've tasted before.

The lights, trees, REAL roasted chestnuts... yep, it's Christmas time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The #1 thing I've learned abroad

Tonight, I have a lot to be thankful for. First, Blogger finally updated their app and made it iPad friendly. It's about time! The new update makes typing this MUCH easier, and hopefully makes it look better too.

Second, I get to see my family so soon! My parents and little sister are coming to visit, while the rest of my siblings at home watch over the house and the dog. Some days, it feels like the last three months have flown by; others, it feels like we've been here forever. I can't believe it is already Thanksgiving, but I'm looking forward to their visit!

Classes are close to finishing and we go home in a little over a month. In that amount of time we have a lot to do -- a trip to Paris, 4-5 finals, say our goodbyes to Birmingham, and visit Scotland -- before we back to the states.

Raymond and I have learned so much about the world, and our place in it. I've realized I have an interest in business (something I've denied for three years) and have been devouring books on marketing and finance. I've also come to feel that even though the planet is so big, I can be an ocean away and still feel close to home thanks to the brilliance of technology and conversation of family.

We both miss Mexican food more than we thought possible (it doesn't exist across the ocean), and I was courageous enough to try curry. Actually, we miss food in general, and the car that makes grocery shopping easy. Going for groceries is an event that takes up half our day here.

Still, the power of travel and experience takes hold of us. Rome was simply enchanting, and the history of the ground and stone awe-inspiring. Dublin was full of music and laughter, and my Irish blood quickly fell in love. London rivals New York, and we could live there for years and never see it all.

Although I'm anxious to visit Paris and Scotland, I think there comes a time when you're ready to go home. We're very close to that point. There are a few more things for us to check off our lists, and then we will be home for the holidays.

Perhaps the most important thing I've learned about myself, even more than my thoughts on a career choice, is that the midwest is truly my home. Anyone who knows me has heard me say for years that I was going to leave Kansas for New York City, if only I found the right time or job. Now, after living so far away, I don't think so anymore.

I love Kansas, but more importantly I love my family. Living abroad has been full of adventure and excitement, but it has also been expensive and far from the comfort of home. We've been across the ocean for three months, but we could have been in New York and still felt just as far away.

The fact is, right now I can't imagine permanently moving somewhere so far away from my family that it takes a plane ride (or two) just to go home for the weekend. Maybe some day, at the right time, with the right job, but not now.

Don't get me wrong, I could travel a million places, and it would never be enough. I want to see everything, I want to learn about every culture and soak it all in. But Kansas, full of wheat fields and blue skies, will always be my home at heart.

Carnival on the Sea Shore

Last night we had a great road trip. We went with some friends all the way to the sea, to a small coastal town called Burnham, south of Wales. It only took us a couple hours by car to see the ocean!

We went to see the Carnival of Lights, a fantastic parade for Guy Fawkes Day. It also serves to kickoff winter and Christmas time. In fact, I was told last night that the parade is the biggest winter festival in the world. THE WORLD!

Before the parade began we ate fish and chips on the shoreline. It was the best fish I have eaten in a long time, so fresh! Glad we were able to check that off the bucket list!

In anticipation, we picked some prime High Street spots and waited for the lights to start. Soon we were watching float after float go by, covered in lights and moving parts. There were dozens, and they were all so big! The artistic achievement was fantastic. Check out the videos Raymond has posted and it will give you a better idea. We still have my favorites to post, including one with giant polar bears!

The festival was unlike anything I've seen before. We could feel the heat of the lights as they passed by us in the street.

In total, we watched floats go by for about two hours. After they were done we packed up and drove home, glad to be warm in the car!

Here are a few photos, but the videos really give a better idea!

Thoughts of the sleepless Raymond

Maybe this is becoming a problem, I haven't been able to sleep until 6 am for the past week and a half and there is no end in sight. But on the up side of this issue (being and Optimus and not a Negatron)  it gives me time to think and catch up on news that I've been missing. Though I give up on the news when at some point it all sort of blends into the same story, I love reading good news but I have a hard time finding it these days.

Anywhoo, today we went on our first English road trip and I have to say it was truly awesome! Granted it was only about 2 hours away but it was some of the most fun I've had since we've been here. We adventured to Burnham (Burnham lol) to see a Carnival of lights parade and I didn't really know what to expect based off the parades we've seen back in the states. My first order of business was to seek out fish and chips and devour them and devour them we did right outside in front of the ocean, I will never forget that. (Back to the floats and the parade and stuff.) Well let me tell you I was blown away at the amount of work that went into all of the floats and walkers (people with costumes) in this parade.

The video to the right just one of the amazing floats we saw and I will never forget them, since I took video and put it in the infinite memory banks of YouTube. 

Ah it looks like the claws of sleep have finally found their way into my eyes, better late than never I like to quote. So with this I bid you a Good morning..well good night, your pick. 

I love yo faces! :D