In Bentonville

I guess it's about time to admit that I'm home from the big trip. I had great intentions to fill you in on our daily activities from city to city, but that just didn't happen. To use the internet in most places, I had to walk to an Internet Cafe, pay some Euros (or Swiss Francs), check e-mail and give updates to family before my time ran out on the computer. So...thekatebox got the shaft.

However, many of you by now have seen the 500 pictures on Facebook and could probably give a day to day account of the trip. For those of you haven't seen them or heard some of the stories, here are a few of my favorite pictures and places with captions under each one.In front of Kenwood House outside of London (remember the scene with Julia Roberts acting in Notting Hill?).
Seeing Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London!
At the Louvre in Paris. The Eiffel Tower...and notice how well I planned my outfit to match.
One of my favorite foods--real pizza. Even though this was on a sidewalk cafe in Paris watching the end of the Tour de France, the pizza was real and incredible. I consumed much more pizza in Italy of course.

Watching the first cyclists come down the Champs Elysees on the final stage of the Tour de France!

It won't let me put a caption UNDER the next picture. This is in Gimmelwald, Switzerland...high in the Alps.Schiltorn peak. We took cable cars to reach it, and the views were unbelievable and so vast. That's Allen in the green and white striped sweatshirt!A night in Vernazza, Italy. We had just eaten dinner and were walking around this beautiful, small riviera town.

Main street in Vernazza.Reaching Manarola, one of the towns of the Cinque Terre.The hike was definitely a highlight of our trip. Wes and I took fresh pizzas to the rocks one night for dinner. This was our romantic setting.The view from our apartment in Vernazza.

On our last night, Allen and I went to the top of one of the hills surrounding Lake Como and ate dinner. We sat right next to the window, and this was our view.

Of course this is just a snapshot of our trip. We are so thankful for the opportunity to visit and experience these amazing places. The cultures and people we encountered really taught us a lot, and the scenery proved in amazing ways the beauty and creativity of our God. Thanks for your prayers along the way.

In Paris

Ok, so we have made it to Paris! The Eurostar through the English Channel was pretty cool, and now we are sitting in Erin's flat waiting to go out for dinner. Those of you who are awaiting email or phone confirmation that we have made it to Paris...Allen's phone isn't working and Gmail isn't working for me either. I'm sure we will get that figured out soon, but I am trying to be the very responsible one and get the message out that we are here safe and sound. I already LOVE Paris! I mean, I haven't seen much of it, but it is just beautiful. We have only been in the residential area so far, and I'm sure we will venture out to the rest of the city in the morning. Ok, I'm going to let these guys get some food in their bellies. Off to dinner...and I will write more later for sure!

In London

Cheers from London! Our stay here in the UK is coming to an end, as we leave for Paris tomorrow afternoon. We have had an incredible time here, so we are sad to say goodbye...but, I can't wait to see Paris!! Here is a quick run down of our recent activities: a day in Hampstead Heath (where part of Notting Hill was filmed), dining at some really great restaurants, visiting Notting Hill itself, going to see Leeds Castle (southeast of the city), seeing Wicked at the theatre, and exploring St. Paul's Cathedral. After lunch today, we just took our books out to Hyde Park and read for a couple of hours. We have been resting every day in the late afternoon. This is our vacation, you know.
So, I will try to post some pictures once we are in Paris. Thanks for your prayers. We are enjoying every minute of our trip...and I'm journaling every day to remember it for years to come.

Packed and Ready

Ok...here it is.
Isn't it cute? My clothes for the plane ride are stacked neatly on top of my absolutely stuffed bag. I got packed earlier this week, and I had some extra room. However, as the week went on, I thought of a few more shirts, a dress, and a couple of pairs of pants and shoes that are "musts" for the trip. So, everything is in, and I just hope that in a couple of weeks, it will all stuff back in there for the ride home. My "small personal item" is my huge purse crammed full of books, toiletries, my purse that I will actually carry, granola bars, and who knows what else. All that to say, I can't wait for this adventure! Please pray for safe travels and good times. Pray specifically for flights on Saturday the 19th into the morning of the 20th, August 3rd for Wes, and August 4th for Allen and me. I will try to post pictures at every opportunity possible, but I'm not sure when and where those opportunities will be found. And Leslie, or someone close to the Lutz family, I'm expecting to see pictures of baby Samuel posted on here or Facebook as soon as he is born! We are praying for you in these next couple of weeks.
So, a presto, a bientot, and bis bald! That's "see you soon" in Italian, French, and German. I'm not sure if they actually use those phrases...I've never heard them before...but that's what the "phrase book" says.

21 inches

That's the amount of room I have to pack for a 17 day trip to Europe. When I brought home my fancy new suitcase yesterday, Wes just looked at it, looked at me, and said, "Oh, this is going to be fun. Prove to me you can pack in that bag." I am the typical overpacker. For a weekend trip to Conway, I pack at least one big duffle bag, my hanging bag, and a few extras. But now with the additional costs of baggage, I decided to try and change my ways. I first had to find a cute bag. TJ Maxx always can be counted on for high style at a low price, so I bought a $300 bag for $50! Second, I had to find a bag small enough to carry-on because I definitely do not want to check a bag on an airplane or pull a big bag on a train. So this new bag is only 21 inches long. I've decided to pack enough clothes for 1 week, and I bought some Tide travel packs that will allow me to do laundry in my hotel sink! It should be warm where we are going, so that helps. Smaller clothes. I'm actually excited about the challenge of packing in my new bag.

Oh, but the real kicker is what airlines are now calling "personal items." On my last trip to Europe, I took a carry-on bag, a large duffle bag, and a purse. Now, I can only bring my carry-on bag and one SMALL personal item. Woah...one of the personal items listed is a backpack, so I'm going to try and go that route...pack my purse in my backpack along with all of my other essential travel needs. Magazines, books, granola bars, and a toothbrush. This should be fun.

We leave next Saturday for London, Paris, Gimmelwald (Switzerland), the Cinque Terre (Italy), and Milan/Lake Como. Please pray for an efficient and productive week here in Arkansas and for safe travels in the few upcoming weeks.

News

So I'm not pregnant, and we aren't moving anywhere. My news isn't THAT big. Here it is...I'm now 24, I have a new job, and part of my family is moving to Colorado. My birthday was Friday, and it was a good one. We celebrated all day, and I spent some good quality time with family and friends from church. My birthday gifts from Wes and my parents even had a theme to them...fitness. I got a heart-rate monitor from Wes, a new workout top and shoes from my mom and dad, and they are working so hard on getting a Wii Fit for me. Their search has been unsuccessful to this point, but now that I'm on board, we will surely find one soon.

Enough about my birthday. I have a new job. I won't go into all the details and the decision-making process, but I am now teaching 8th grade language arts at the middle school where I interned during my M.A.T. program. It was a tough decision, but I'm pretty excited about the new challenge.

Ok, so the biggest news is that Wes' oldest brother's family is moving to Colorado...next month. Benton has taken a job in Denver, and I am extremely happy and excited for him. If any family is equipped for a challenge and a move such as this one, this family is ready. JB is an incredibly outgoing, loving woman who seeks and follows the Lord's will. Benton is faithful and thinks through every decision. And their kids...they will love Colorado, and I just pray that Whitlee learns the difference between snow and sand soon. :) I have grown closer to this family than I had ever imagined, and I can't grasp right now how it will be not living near them. However, I have kept my relationships with my brother and best girl friends who live far away growing stronger and closer as time goes on. I pray the same for my relationships with Benton, JB, and their kids. Until the move though, I pray that we can enjoy every minute of living in NWA together.

Templates

I've been playing with templates for the blog as you can tell. I found one I really like, but I can't seem to figure out how to get it downloaded correctly. I'll keep working on it when I have time, so when my background changes again, maybe it will be for good. I have some pretty big news, so after The Bachelorette is over (yes, I'm addicted to this season and to who DeAnna will choose), I may have time to update. :)