Saturday, February 9, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
What we've been up to lately
We went to some cool places in the summer
Jimmer loves going to the park right next to us
He loves watching Elmo, Toy Story, and Wizard of Oz
It's now a tradition of ours and Em's family to go to the farm south of Santequin to pick out pumpkins
We had a lot of fun tailgating this year before the home football games with Colby, Jamie, Dallas, and their friends
This is our fourth picture on our anniversary in front of our Temple.
Jimmer likes doing the ET thing where you touch fingers and say "Ouch."
Pumpkin carving time
We did a lot of drives and hikes to go out and enjoy the Fall colors
For pretty much every FHE in the summer and fall we would go to the Temple and have our lesson there. Jimmy still isn't the best at communicating...for him, Temple, ball, moon, bottle, bubbles, and cold ("burr") are all "ball."
I'll give the kid a few years before he's in charge of raking all the leaves and mowing the lawn by himself.
We enjoyed going to see the Temple Square and Riverwoods lights
Just at a restaurant
So Jimmer LOVES Obama...er, I mean he loves this video of a guy wearing an Obama mask and dancing all over the country. You can youtube, "Obama Works It" to watch the video. Anyway we finally took Jimmer in to get a haircut. He didn't like it so much and unfortunately watching the video didn't really help at all.
Poor Jimmer was for awhile before and on Christmas
We had fun going to Provo Beach Resort and playing skee-ball with Em's family over the Christmas break
Here's what baby #2 looks like!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Day 13: Europe
Kasey- We got up around 7:30 and took our time getting up and to breakfast at 8:30. Breakfast was disappointing--only bread and hot chocolate. We snagged some bread and nutella spread for the road and headed out. We were able to park for free by the gardens because we got there after 7pm but had to move our car before 9am. Parking is sooooo expensive in Paris. I had done some research to find a pretty cheap parking garage but it was close to the outer ring. Directions of course never go as planned because of one way streets, traffic, road construction, etc, but we found our way to the garage and walked back up to the Louvre. We walked all over Paris--we figured out after that we walked more than 24 miles in 2 days in Paris.
Waiting in line for the Louvre we pulled out some bread and some cheese bread we got from our Luxembourg hotel.
When we were paying for our tickets to the Louvre they asked me if I was getting a youth ticket for Emmy--the lady thought she was under 18...which would make me a sicko! The Louvre is massive, of course. There is so much to see--we actually did pretty well about going through lots of exhibits and then spent more time on the things we each liked to see.
We spent about 3 hours there and enjoyed the Italian and French art sections. Emmy really likes Greek and Roman art, as well. I liked the Egyptian section. We of course saw the Mona Lisa and got as close as we could to it.
*This picture looks like Kasey is by himself in here, when really this place was a zoo!
Emmy thinks Mona Lisa knows something we don't. We had fun interpreting some of the Italian paintings. We walked to Notre Dame afterwards and got some tasty flat bread with some good spices on top. It was really good. We met up with a tour guide outside the Notre Dame cathedral and did a tour of the Latin Quarter.
We are both really glad we did it. It was done by a local college student and he showed us a lot of interesting places including where a lot of protests happen, where the guillotine was invented, the main colleges, etc. We learned that the left and right banks are called that way from the reference of the way the water is moving and that Paris started on the island where Notre Dame is. We saw the Shakespeare and company building where local artists will work for a few hours a day in exchange of getting their room for free. We saw the oldest tree in Paris and the oldest Church.
We went back to Notre Dame and did a tour there.
Then we went out to eat at an Indian Restaurant. I like the Indian food better in the US. We eventually made it back to our hotel.
When we were paying for our tickets to the Louvre they asked me if I was getting a youth ticket for Emmy--the lady thought she was under 18...which would make me a sicko! The Louvre is massive, of course. There is so much to see--we actually did pretty well about going through lots of exhibits and then spent more time on the things we each liked to see.
We spent about 3 hours there and enjoyed the Italian and French art sections. Emmy really likes Greek and Roman art, as well. I liked the Egyptian section. We of course saw the Mona Lisa and got as close as we could to it.
Emmy thinks Mona Lisa knows something we don't. We had fun interpreting some of the Italian paintings. We walked to Notre Dame afterwards and got some tasty flat bread with some good spices on top. It was really good. We met up with a tour guide outside the Notre Dame cathedral and did a tour of the Latin Quarter.
We are both really glad we did it. It was done by a local college student and he showed us a lot of interesting places including where a lot of protests happen, where the guillotine was invented, the main colleges, etc. We learned that the left and right banks are called that way from the reference of the way the water is moving and that Paris started on the island where Notre Dame is. We saw the Shakespeare and company building where local artists will work for a few hours a day in exchange of getting their room for free. We saw the oldest tree in Paris and the oldest Church.
We went back to Notre Dame and did a tour there.
Then we went out to eat at an Indian Restaurant. I like the Indian food better in the US. We eventually made it back to our hotel.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Day 12: Europe
Kasey- So we had until 11am to have our car parked by the hostel which meant we only had a few hours to see Luxembourg City. Ya know, Luxembourg is a hidden gem. The main part of the city is almost on this plateau with steep ridges that are really pretty. We enjoyed walking around the city. We saw the Grand Duchy, Notre Dame of Luxembourg and saw scenic streets.
We made it back to the car in time, checked out of the hostel, and started to France. The whole time in Europe we didn't have any maps or GPS--just directions written out. That led us into some problems but for the most part we were able to get around with just a few delays because we would get a little lost. We got a little lost going towards France but we found our way to the main highway. We stopped in Verdun and did a little tour of the city.
The thing I love about Europe is how much history there is in each city. We went to the Battle of Verdun sites and man was that overwhelming. The Battle of Verdun in WWI was the largest battle in history--close to a million people died. The landscape is changed from all the fighting and we walked around a town that had been completely wiped out. It was interesting to walk the former streets of the town so you could see where the buildings were. We went to a fort and walked around there and then drove by a cemetery. You can spend a lot of time there, there's so much to see. It's tough to be there, though, and constantly be reminded about the worst parts of humanity.
We drove through the country side to Reims. I really enjoyed that drive. It was beautiful weather in the late afternoon and we just drove through small town after small town. This was my second time in France and like the first time we just kept singing the Beauty and the Beast song- "Bonjour, Bonjour!" In Reims we walked to the cathedral and saw a little bit around there.
So I was Dad's navigator when we were in Rome last time and I gotta say that it was one of my worst experiences in the car because we were constantly lost and just going around in circles. I did not want to have that same experience in Paris so I wanted to make sure we caught the ring around Paris and then park close to the ring for a few days. I missed it somewhere and when we came out of a tunnel we were right in the middle of things. I knew it could be really bad but it ended up only taking us about 20 minutes to get to our hotel. One thing nice about driving in Paris is that if you know where your hotel is in relation to the Eiffel Tower and Seine then you can figure it out. So we found the Eiffel Tower and then the Seine River- followed it to Notre Dame and then found the Luxembourg Gardens and there was our hotel. We seriously lucked out--it could have been bad. So we got to our hotel and we ended up being on the top floor and even though it didn't feel the cleanest it was fun to have 2 huge rooms and to be on our own. We got some baguettes and skyped with the family. It was really, really good to see Jimmer again. We were really happy to hear that he had been doing great with my parents. We went back to the hotel, watched most of I Robot completely in French. It was so nice to just sit there and relax, and then we crashed.
We made it back to the car in time, checked out of the hostel, and started to France. The whole time in Europe we didn't have any maps or GPS--just directions written out. That led us into some problems but for the most part we were able to get around with just a few delays because we would get a little lost. We got a little lost going towards France but we found our way to the main highway. We stopped in Verdun and did a little tour of the city.
The thing I love about Europe is how much history there is in each city. We went to the Battle of Verdun sites and man was that overwhelming. The Battle of Verdun in WWI was the largest battle in history--close to a million people died. The landscape is changed from all the fighting and we walked around a town that had been completely wiped out. It was interesting to walk the former streets of the town so you could see where the buildings were. We went to a fort and walked around there and then drove by a cemetery. You can spend a lot of time there, there's so much to see. It's tough to be there, though, and constantly be reminded about the worst parts of humanity.
We drove through the country side to Reims. I really enjoyed that drive. It was beautiful weather in the late afternoon and we just drove through small town after small town. This was my second time in France and like the first time we just kept singing the Beauty and the Beast song- "Bonjour, Bonjour!" In Reims we walked to the cathedral and saw a little bit around there.
So I was Dad's navigator when we were in Rome last time and I gotta say that it was one of my worst experiences in the car because we were constantly lost and just going around in circles. I did not want to have that same experience in Paris so I wanted to make sure we caught the ring around Paris and then park close to the ring for a few days. I missed it somewhere and when we came out of a tunnel we were right in the middle of things. I knew it could be really bad but it ended up only taking us about 20 minutes to get to our hotel. One thing nice about driving in Paris is that if you know where your hotel is in relation to the Eiffel Tower and Seine then you can figure it out. So we found the Eiffel Tower and then the Seine River- followed it to Notre Dame and then found the Luxembourg Gardens and there was our hotel. We seriously lucked out--it could have been bad. So we got to our hotel and we ended up being on the top floor and even though it didn't feel the cleanest it was fun to have 2 huge rooms and to be on our own. We got some baguettes and skyped with the family. It was really, really good to see Jimmer again. We were really happy to hear that he had been doing great with my parents. We went back to the hotel, watched most of I Robot completely in French. It was so nice to just sit there and relax, and then we crashed.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Day 11: Europe
Kasey- Well, I knew this day was another day of doing A LOT of stuff. Our breakfast was pretty good. The whole hostel experience was one of my better hostel experiences. We saw like 20 staff members so that made me think that the place has got to be clean! We got a smokin deal at the hostel- only 15 euros for the two of us. There was some confusion about the price but luckily I printed the email where they told me 15 euros. After checking out we went up to the castle just above our hostel and walked around the courtyard. The castle is now a hotel. Next time I think we'll stay there.
It was really pretty driving up that high and then coming down and seeing the Lorelei. We then drove back to Koblenz and then to Trier. Trier is also a gorgeous city. We parked and walked to Karl Marx's house and then to the Cathedral in the zentrum.
There's another church right next to the Cathedral that Emmy really liked because there was more light that got in. The relic at this Cathedral is Christ's Holy Robe when he was crucified.
We got some curry wurst (it was ok) and saw the Porta Nigra which is the best preserved Roman gate north of the Alps. We went to St. Pauline's Church which is yellow on the outside and really pretty inside. Supposedly Napoleon didn't touch this Church because of how pretty it is. We walked to a Roman bath that had a good sewage and heating system. We drove to a Roman Amphitheater that could sit up to 20,000 spectators and then left Trier. Our next destination was Echternach, Luxembourg. I really enjoyed the drive from Trier to Echternach mostly because I could tell it wasn't that popular of a route, so we weren't driving through touristy towns.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Day 10: Europe
Kasey- The hotel we stayed at in Koln was pretty good. I didn't have any complaints with it. Monday morning we got breakfast at 8 and then hit up the town after putting money in the meter to our car. We walked around and saw a Gestapo prison and the 4711 house where cologne originated from. We tested the scent and thought it smelled... interesting, ahem.
We went to the Cathedral which was HUGE. It was a really pretty cathedral. With all the cathedrals we went to, we thought it was fun to learn about what relics where at that particular cathedral. The one in Cologne is said to have the remains of one of the three wisemen. We were also impressed that the cathedral took over 632 years to build.
We walked around Koln some more- went across the river that had all these locks attached to the fence, we couldn't figure out what they were there for. So we went back to our hotel, checked out, and then took off towards Bonn.
There wasn't a whole lot planned to Bonn so when parking was tough to find we decided to just skip it after driving by Beethoven's house. For me, I can be satisfied by just going to a city and thinking about and imagining all the things that had occurred there and then appreciating the city. Bonn was Beethoven's birthplace and was also the capital of West Germany. We drove down to Koblenz, parked, and then walked to a store. We accidentally got carbonated water, fortunately that was the only time we forgot that Europeans love their carbonated water and paid attention more closely when we bought water. We walked to an old castle and the Deutches Eck which is where the Rhine and Mosel Rivers meet. It has a massive statue.
We really liked Koblenz; I liked Koblenz the first time we went which is why I wanted to go again. We did the Germany thing and got some bratwurst (I think we got it at the same place I got a brat my first time to Koblenz). We then walked into town more, got a doner kebab (it was a little dry but still good). We saw a statue of a kid that will spit water onto you and then went back to the car.
This next part was my favorite part of Germany- we drove along the Rhine river from Koblenz to Rudemshein am Rhein. This whole experience was just amazing with the steep hills right next to the road and vineyards all over them. Castles were above several quaint little towns with your typical German houses and Churches. It was really fun doing that drive. It's the perfect thing to do to really experience Germany. We stopped at several places along the way to get out and walk around or take pictures.
We drove up to the Marksburg castle and went into the outer courtyard. We walked around Rudesheim am Rhein which has a lot of nice stores and outdoor pubs. We got some gelato but it just wasn't the same as real Italian gelato. We drove onto a ferry and took that across to Bingen. We then drove up to our hostel in St. Goar. It was a pretty nice hostel I thought. It was Emmy's first experience with a hostel so she was nervous about doing it. We walked around St. Goar for a little bit and then went back. Emmy fretted awhile about bed bugs, sleeping in separate beds, and just being in hostels. I tried to make her laugh and feel okay about staying there. It was a funny evening and I think she was eventually fine with staying there...after she fell asleep :)
We went to the Cathedral which was HUGE. It was a really pretty cathedral. With all the cathedrals we went to, we thought it was fun to learn about what relics where at that particular cathedral. The one in Cologne is said to have the remains of one of the three wisemen. We were also impressed that the cathedral took over 632 years to build.
We really liked Koblenz; I liked Koblenz the first time we went which is why I wanted to go again. We did the Germany thing and got some bratwurst (I think we got it at the same place I got a brat my first time to Koblenz). We then walked into town more, got a doner kebab (it was a little dry but still good). We saw a statue of a kid that will spit water onto you and then went back to the car.
This next part was my favorite part of Germany- we drove along the Rhine river from Koblenz to Rudemshein am Rhein. This whole experience was just amazing with the steep hills right next to the road and vineyards all over them. Castles were above several quaint little towns with your typical German houses and Churches. It was really fun doing that drive. It's the perfect thing to do to really experience Germany. We stopped at several places along the way to get out and walk around or take pictures.
We drove up to the Marksburg castle and went into the outer courtyard. We walked around Rudesheim am Rhein which has a lot of nice stores and outdoor pubs. We got some gelato but it just wasn't the same as real Italian gelato. We drove onto a ferry and took that across to Bingen. We then drove up to our hostel in St. Goar. It was a pretty nice hostel I thought. It was Emmy's first experience with a hostel so she was nervous about doing it. We walked around St. Goar for a little bit and then went back. Emmy fretted awhile about bed bugs, sleeping in separate beds, and just being in hostels. I tried to make her laugh and feel okay about staying there. It was a funny evening and I think she was eventually fine with staying there...after she fell asleep :)
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