Jessiebean

Name that plant

2009-05-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

And a little bit more

2009-04-21T01:53:00.001-07:00

A bit more color

2009-04-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

A bit of color

2009-04-14T00:23:00.001-07:00

My new house

2009-04-03T16:15:00.000-07:00

Here it is, my new house. I close on April 29. The house is located in Millcreek Township, just south of 3900 South and at about 3200 East. It's about 1 mile south of the home where I grew up. The house has four bedrooms and two bathrooms, and it's 1,590 square feet. It was built in 1953, and the lot is .17 acres.

The house is by far the best one I saw when shopping. However, the people who live there now are a bit fussy/froofy for my taste. Lots of toll painted decoration and decals on the walls. And if you look close, you'll notice a strong affinity for roosters.

If you can look beyond the decorations, the house has strong bones and potential for growth. Even mom agrees it's the perfect home for me (amazing, I know).

So here you go, a quick little "before" of my new house.

Being the smart person that I am, I forgot to check the batteries in mom's camera before heading off to take photos. So, this first photo of the house is courtesy of a Internet listing.

This chain-link fence has got to go.

The front room

The kitchen is smallish, but has good counter and cupboard space.

The dining area/breakfast nook off the kitchen

The upstairs bathroom

The master bedroom

The basement family room

The downstairs bath and laundry are in the same room. It's updated with new tile and built-ins.

Laundry

Bathroom

The house is mostly move-in ready, but some cosmetic changes MUST take place.

Mint green is cute for a little girl, but...

Pink and yellow. Nice

Yup, that's burgundy with black trim. The "man" cave has got to go.

Early bloomers part 3

2009-03-15T00:28:00.000-07:00

Early bloomers part 2

2009-03-13T23:44:00.000-07:00

Early bloomers

2009-03-12T16:59:00.000-07:00

Whisper of spring

2009-02-26T22:15:00.000-08:00

Literary steps

2009-02-12T15:26:00.000-08:00

Blue symmetry

2009-02-10T19:26:00.001-08:00

p.o.t.d.

2009-02-03T21:14:00.000-08:00

Simple comfort

p.o.t.d.

2009-01-27T23:47:00.000-08:00

Nellie

p.o.t.d.

2009-01-24T00:02:00.000-08:00

More crab apples

Hold

2009-01-23T23:53:00.000-08:00

Jake is now on 'hold' on the transplant list. He had to have an MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) and hepatitis B booster because his blood test showed no antibodies. But the MMR vaccine contains live cultures, so that means he can't have a transplant until they run their course. What does that mean? He's still on the list, but has a hold status for a month. On the bright side, it gives us another month to pack!

We also met with the dialysis clinic person today. She cleaned Jake's cath and put in a couple of tablespoons of fluid to flush it and some heparin to stave off clotting. Next week they'll put in a couple of cups of fluid and then drain it. He'll actually start the dialysis process mid-February.

Much to the relief of all involved, Jake's bladder has healed and that cath has been removed. So overall a good day of health-care visits.

p.o.t.d.

2009-01-21T20:50:00.000-08:00

Crab apple

p.o.t.d.

2009-01-20T23:16:00.000-08:00

gerbers

Surgery

2009-01-19T23:44:00.000-08:00

All things considered, Jake's catheter surgery went pretty well. There was a slight complication, however. On the first try, the surgeon nicked his bladder, causing a small tear. Apparently this is somewhat common in diabetics, and we were warned about the possibility prior to the surgery, so it wasn't a complete surprise. What that means, though, is that Jake has two catheters right now: the one for dialysis and the one so that his bladder can heal. As you can imagine, he's not too happy about the second one. It will remain in until Friday. Otherwise, he's doing well. At least well enough to play his computer game :)

p.o.t.d.

2009-01-19T12:34:00.000-08:00

Aspen buds

p.o.t.d.

2009-01-17T23:09:00.000-08:00

Chives

Listed!

2009-01-16T23:57:00.000-08:00

Great news! As of today Jake has been officially added to the UNOS transplant list! The insurance company finally came through for him. Now it's just a waiting game until the organs become available. Because that could take some time, he still has to start dialysis. Slowly but surely we're getting there!

p.o.t.d.

2009-01-16T23:26:00.000-08:00

I love to abstract things. This is a daffodil from our garden in spring '08.

p.o.t.d.

2009-01-14T21:48:00.001-08:00

Dialysis

2009-01-14T20:50:00.000-08:00

The time has come for Jake to start dialysis. It sucks, but we are grateful that the treatment is available.

A short time ago, we found out that Jake's kidney function had dropped from 17 percent in October to 10 percent the first week of January. A 7 percent drop in three months is not good. And since 15 percent is when they start the dialysis, the doctors wanted to get things moving quickly.

Yesterday, we met with a nurse practitioner who showed Jake his dialysis options. Jake, the nurse and doctors have decided that peritoneal dialysis (PD) is the best choice.

In PD, a catheter is inserted through the wall of the abdomen into the peritoneal cavity. Solution flows in and out of the cavity through the catheter, which must be inserted by a surgeon during an outpatient procedure.

PD cleans the blood and removes extra fluids using the body's own membranes as a filter. The peritoneum, or abdominal cavity, contains the stomach, spleen, liver and intestines.

PD solution is places in the peritoneum. The membrane filters waste and fluids from the blood into the solution. After several hours, the solution is drained from the cavity and is replaced with fresh solution.

It sounds a bit complicated, but it's pretty simple and can be done at home. Jake will be able to keep working, either changing the solution every couple hours or with the use of a machine at night while sleeping. That decision will be made when he actually begins treatment.

We met with the surgeon today, and Jake will have the catheter inserted on Monday. About three weeks after that, they will start dialysis treatments. During those three weeks, nurses will flush his catheter to make sure no bacteria forms, and we will get training on how to administer PD.

Also, Jake is still not on the transplant list. Apparently his paperwork got sent to the wrong department, but it's now been tracked down and he should hear something in the next few days.

Photo of the day

2009-01-13T17:03:00.000-08:00

Getting closer

2008-11-26T21:21:00.000-08:00

Jake's one step closer to getting his transplant. Yesterday, the hospital called to let him know that the transplant team had accepted him as a patient and would recommend him for the UNOS transplant list. But, the insurance company has to approve it first, and who knows how long that will take. We are, however, very excited that the hospital approved him and things are really starting to move forward.

This is one of my favorite pics of Jake. He's holding our cousin Rachel.

Home

2008-11-19T21:07:00.000-08:00

We're home! Yay! The drive from Salt Lake to Phoenix isn't one that I recommend you make on a regular basis. Especially since there seems to be a speed trap about 75 miles outside of Phoenix. We passed four cops in 20 minutes, and the last one pulled me over. I was going about 5 miles over the limit. He gave me a warning though. I don't know if that was because I really looked cute in pigtails, that we were coming from the Mayo Clinic (he asked why we were in Arizona) or a combination of the two. Not that I'm complaining. I'm happy to not have a ticket.

Now it's just a waiting game for us. We'll here on Wednesday if Jake has been listed. After that, he can stay here until the organs become available. He'll need to have blood drawn once a month so that it's available for tissue typing when the time comes.

Here's the one and only photo we took on this trip: Mom
and Jake at the rest stop overlooking the Grand Canyon.
I'm sure they'll be sooooo excited that I posted
this, so shhhh it's a secret.

Second day of tests

2008-11-18T18:30:00.000-08:00

Today was Jake's second day of tests. We had to be at the hospital at 6:30 a.m. Jake had a fasting blood draw and they took 21 tubes of blood. We met with his social worker, his nurse coordinator, a dietitian and one of four surgeons that perform the kidney/pancreas transplant operation. Here's what we learned today.

Blood: O is the universal donor, but someone with O can only receive O. A can get A or O. B can get B or O. AB can get A, B, AB or O. Positive and negative don't matter. Most people are O, so it's the longest list. AB is the rarest, so shortest list. Jake is A.

The list: Right now, in this region, there are four or five people on the A list ahead of Jake. Assuming he's put on the list, priority goes to the best match, not to who is the sickest, because dialysis is available. The hospital has done 28 kidney/pancreas transplants so far this year. If you follow those statistics, Jake is looking at about a 6-12 month wait. Which is much better than just a kidney, which would be three to five years.

Candidate: Everyone we met with today seemed to think Jake was the ideal candidate, so pending something unforeseen, we're pretty sure he'll be put on the list. We should find out about that a week from Wednesday.

Surgery: After the surgery, Jake would have to stay in the hospital five to seven days. He would have to return to the hospital three times a week for two weeks. And then two times a week for another two weeks. And then a week of final testing before he can come back to Salt Lake. He would need a "caregiver," which would probably be me, to stay with him for at least two weeks following his release from the hospital. After that he would have to return to Phoenix after four months, eight months, a year and then once a year for the rest of his life.

Meds: Jake would initially be on anti-viral, anti-fungus, antibiotic and immune suppressive drugs. After a certain amount of time, they would take him off the first three. He would need to take immune suppressive drugs for the rest of his life.

Organs: Once removed from the donor, the kidney/pancreas remain viable for up to 24 hours, which gives us a bigger window to play with than most transplants. Once notified of the available organ, the hospital has one hour to contact Jake, make sure he's healthy and accept the organs. Otherwise, they get sent on to the next candidate.

I think that's it for today. I'll post more if I remember or learn anything else new.

Day one of testing

2008-11-17T18:24:00.000-08:00

We spent the day at the Mayo Clinic and Jake had a couple of tests with more tomorrow. Here's what we learned today.

After the tests, a panel will meet and discuss Jake's case. Following that meeting, they'll call and let us know if Jake is a candidate for the transplant list.

Because Jake would be getting two organs, he automatically would be bumped higher on the list.

Depending on blood type, the wait for an organ can be a few weeks or more than a year.

Success rate for kidney/pancreas transplant is about 93%-94%

If Jake gets the transplant, he'll have to stay here for four weeks following the surgery.

And finally, Jake and I can spend 48 hours together without killing each other. But we still have 48 hours left, so no bets on how that will play out :)

We made it

2008-11-16T20:35:00.000-08:00

After a very long drive, we've made it to Phoenix. And after getting stuck behind some big trucks, I can honestly say that I understand road rage a little better. Anyway, no big incidents. We got here safe and didn't get lost. Tomorrow, we've got a full-day of meetings/tests. Oh, and I brought a camera, but no USB cable to upload photos. I knew I forgot something. I guess it could be worse. That's all for now. Hopefully I'll have something interesting to post tomorrow. -Jess

Me and Jake

2008-11-15T23:53:00.000-08:00

A little more information for those of you just tuning in. There are five kids in our family, and Jake falls smack dab in the middle. Our parents thought J names would be soooooo much fun. So we're Jennifer, Jonathan, Jacob, Jessica and Joshua. Jake and I are the only ones still living at home. Funny thing is, though, we can go for days without seeing each other. So after this trip, we may have had enough together time. The next post will be from Arizona. At least 10 hours stuck in a car together. Wish us luck!

Me and Jake when we were still cute and little.
This was soon after he was diagnosed with diabetes.

A change in direction

2008-11-06T23:07:00.000-08:00

I know I am horrible at this whole blog thing. Sorry. I hope to be more consistent in the future.

I'm changing direction on this blog. My posts for the next while will be centered on my brother Jake.

Jake is diabetic. He's had the disease since he was 3. When you have diabetes that long and as severely as Jake, it does a number on your kidneys. Well Jake's kidney's have finally had it, and the doctors have decided to take the next step.

Long story short, we've known for a while that Jake needs a transplant, but it's just recently that the insurance company has agreed. However, the insurance company won't pay for it here, so we have to go to Arizona.

We're driving down to the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix in a week for two days of testing. When his kidney function dropped from 23 percent to 17 percent in three months, the insurance company decided that yes, maybe he is sick. Hopefully after all the tests, he'll be on the kidney/pancreas transplant list.

We don't know very much about the process, but I guess that's what we'll learn while we're there. The goal is to for him to have the kidney/pancreas transplant and then he would no longer be a diabetic. That's the ideal. If he gets a lot worse while waiting, then we'll try for a living donor.

Here's some links to info. you might find interesting. I'll try to keep this updated as we learn more.

The May Clinic

National Kidney Foundation

A new look

2008-08-20T00:30:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't done much lately, so I thought I'd try something new.
Now that I'm done tinkering, what do you think? Maybe next time I
might even try to write something interesting :)

Tag I'm It

2008-07-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

A = ADVOCATE FOR: Truth
B = BEST FEATURE: My eyes, smile
C= COULDN'T DO WITHOUT: Family
D = DREAMS AND DESIRES: Buy a home, have kids, travel
E = ESSENTIAL ITEM: Lap top
F= FAVORITE PAST TIME: Reading, photography
G= GOOD AT: Writing
H = HAVE NEVER TRIED: Sushi
I = IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS: I would buy a house, pay off my mom's, invest the rest
J= Junkie for: Popcorn
K = KINDRED SPIRIT: Mina
L = LITTLE KNOWN FACT: I'm a sci-fi nut
M = MEMORABLE MOMENT: Going through the temple
N = NEVER AGAIN WILL I: ?
O = OCCASIONAL INDULGENCE: Movies
P= PERSON I MOST ADMIRE: Mom
Q = QUOTE: Worry is the dark room in which negatives can develop
R = REASON TO SMILE: Cause it's fun
S = SORRY ABOUT: Not spending more time with my friends
T = TAG SOME FRIENDS: Annie
U = UNINTERESTED IN: Baseball...boring
V = VERY SCARED OF: Rejection - it feels like crap
W = WORST HABIT: Worrying
X = X MARKS MY IDEAL VACATION SPOT: Europe, New Zealand, Scandanavia
Y = YESTERYEAR DECADE OF CHOICE: '4os - great clothes and music
Z = ZODIAC SIGN: Aquarius

Look what I did!

2008-07-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

I love to read. Big surprise! With that love comes a lot of books. Especially with the book reviews I have done/will be doing, the books are really stacking up. I have been in desperate need of more storage for my "collection." So when I found a bigger bookshelf at the store that was on sale, it was a no-brainer. Of course it was something I had to assemble, and at 80 pounds it's no light weight. It took me about 3 hours to put it together - it would have been a lot faster had I been able to find the electric screwdriver! It came with more than 80 screws, so you can imagine how my arm/wrist was hurting by the time I was done. It's also a bit bigger than I initially thought, so my room is pretty much wall-to-wall furniture, but I have tons more space for all my stuff! Next to it you can see the quilt I had mostly completed before I left for Europe. I finished tying it today, and I only broke three needles in the process :)

Coming home

2008-06-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

The last day was 11 straight hours on a plane from Paris to Salt Lake. The airport in Paris was huge. It had something like five terminals and each terminal was divided into little terminals. Our taxi driver dropped us off at the wrong mini terminal - it took us 15 minutes to make our way to the Air France/Delta section. At least it wasn't the wrong terminal all together or we would have had some serious problems figuring out where to go. Our flight was delayed, so we had plenty of time to get to our gate. Once they started to board, we had to go through customs/security. Of course I was the only one flagged for an in depth search. I had to take off my shoes and had to have a pat-down. Apparently there's a picture of this, but I have yet to see it. Annie and Trisha thought it was great fun. At least the officer was nice and was joking with me the whole time. After I got my shoes back on, we made our way down a ramp and onto a bus, which drove us to our airplane. The nonstop flight from Paris to Salt Lake is new, and Delta had been making all this hoopla about more leg room, personal TVs, etc. They lied. There was nothing special about this plane except my seat actually reclined this time. No extra space, not personal TV. What a letdown. It was a long flight. There were three movies - one of which we watched on the way to London - and they were played one right after another. Not the best strategy if you're trying to keep people occupied. We had four hours left when the last one was over. Eleven hours cooped up anywhere will drive you bonkers, so you can imagine how happy we were when we finally landed. And it was so nice to feel warm again - although it's gotten old pretty fast. So that's it. That's the end of our trip. We parted ways at the airport and I haven't seen Annie or Trisha since - although I have IM'd Annie. Below are a few pics I snagged from Annie's site.

Jess and Trisha at the Salt Lake International Airport.
This is from our first travel day when we were leaving for London.

Jess trying to sleep on the plane from Salt Lake to London.
It looks like I cut my hair in this picture. Hmmm, maybe I should...
The lady next to me would not turn out her light - she drove me nuts.

Europe Day 8

2008-06-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

This was our last full day in Paris. I also got a full-blown cold, too. We started another marathon day at the Musée d'Orsay, which houses impressionist paintings by masters such as Degas, Monet and Van Gogh. The museum is housed in an old train station, which is why the ceiling is so awesome. The Rodin Museum was next on the list. Love his sculptures, especially those of hands and, of course, "The Kiss." We ate lunch in the sculpture gardens there. Yum! After that, we headed off to the Pere Lachaise cemetery where famous artists, writers and musicians are buried. It was very beautiful in a morbid sort of way. The girls wanted to go shopping afterward and we walked the streets of Paris for three hours before heading back to the hotel for dinner. By this time I was so tired and felt so crappy that I went back to my room to pack and go to bed. Annie and Trisha took to the streets again after dinner and I think they had a lot of fun wandering around.

Musée d'Orsay

Dome of the Invalides and Rodin's "The Thinker"

Rodin's "The Thinker"

The hydrangeas in Paris were enormous. These were as tall as Annie.

Chopin's grave at the Pere Lachaise cemetery

Jim Morrison's (aka Jimmy Rasmussen - sorry Trisha)
grave at the Pere Lachaise cemetery

The crypt next to Jim Morrison's grave is covered
with graffiti notes from some of the musician's fans.

Pere Lachaise cemetery

Europe Day 7 Part 2

2008-06-23T15:13:00.000-07:00

Thinking about it, this really was a long day. How did we do so much? After we left the Louvre, we walked through the Tuileries garden on our way to the Musee de l'Orangerie, which houses some of Monet's water lilies paintings. It's an awesome building, the way the paintings are displayed makes you feel like you're out in nature among them. Next, we headed back to our hotel for a little rest time before heading to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysées. A couple of funny stories about this last trip. First, Annie forgot her metro ticket, so she decided to just buy another ticket. That would have worked except Trisha and I had already gone through and come back out, so our tickets were now void. We ended up walking back to the hotel, getting Annie's ticket and going to a completely different station so our tickets would work. I guess it was a good thing, because we made it to the Arc just as the sun was setting - the perfect time to see Paris and all it's lights. Second, we were walking along the Champs and were getting hungry. We walked past the nicest, most upscale McDonald's probably on the planet, but passed it by. We kept passing cafes, but they were expensive. We passed another McDonald's - not quite as nice as the other - but the girls wanted to keep looking. We finally ended up in this shady French fast food place. I lost my appetite as soon as we walked in, but Annie and Trisha were willing to risk it. And risk it they did. Annie said it was the absolute worst fast food she'd ever tasted, and it showed on her face when she pulled what we think was a brown piece of slimy lettuce off of her sandwich. It was one of those times that I wish I had taken a picture. I didn't know such faces of disgust existed :) On a more serious note, this was one of the days that I really regretted not bringing my SLR camera. I kept thinking, "Oh, if only I had it I could do..." It's really heavy and I was smart to leave it home, since I can't afford to replace it, but oh how I missed having manual control.

The Tuileries garden

Annie and Jess eating yummy ice cream in the Tuileries garden

The so-called "kissing bridge." You're supposed to walk across it
with your significant other and kiss at every lamp. I don't know
what that's supposed to do for you other than the joy, or lack thereof,
of kissing someone so many times, but that's what you're supposed to do.

A closeup of the columns at the end of the "kissing bridge."

Jess outside the sushi restaurant on the way back to our hotel...

Arc de Triomphe

Me at the top of the Arc de Triomphe. For some
reason my camera liked to make me blurry...

The Eiffel Tower "twinking" as seen from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

A view from the top of the stairs that you have to climb to get to
the top of the Arc de Triomphe. We counted approximately 200.
3 words: Buns of Steel!

Europe Day 7 Part 1

2008-06-22T01:36:00.000-07:00

Day 7 was another full day, and as such has also been divided into two parts. Our "tour" was officially over at this point and we were on our own for the last two days. Our first stop was Sainte Chapelle. I had been there before on my first trip to Paris and had been bugging the girls about going there. Jamie had told Trisha about it, too, so they said they'd go, but I think they thought I was overdoing it with the praise. I wish I had taken a picture of their faces when they walked in... the looks on their faces were priceless. To be fair, I don't think you can walk in there without being a bit overwhelmed. The walls are lined with stained glass windows that are practically floor to ceiling, with the ceiling painted blue with gold stars. You are surrounded by stained glass (80% original) and a kaleidescope of colors. When we got there they were starting a tour in English. It just so happened that we were the only English speakers who wanted it, so we got a 40+ minute private tour. Very, very cool. I don't think captions are necessary with these pics - just enjoy.

Sainte Chapelle is surrounded by other buildings, so this is the most of it
you can usually see from the outside. Unfortunately those other buildings
also block the sunlight from coming in the stained glass windows. . .

Our next stop was Notre Dame cathedral. It was fun for me to see the facade without scaffolding. We walked through, but didn't take any photos inside. It's pretty impressive, but I like Sainte Chapelle better. Afterward we went and bought crepes from a street vendor. I got mine filled with Nutella - gasp, chocolate, which tastes more like hazelnut than anything. I though of Mom while I was eating it :)

Apparently there is always one group or another protesting something in Paris. This was one of them. Couldn't tell you what they were protesting, though. We saw them on our way to the Centre Pompidou, a really cool museum that houses modern art. The building is cool because all the inner workings - water, electricity, etc. - are on the outside in different colors. It's like the building is turned inside out.

Protesters

Fountain outside Pompidou - look familiar?

Next stop was the Louvre. Part of it is on this post, part on the next. The Louvre is so big we had to map out what we wanted to see and skip a lot of the rest. We just didn't have time to do and see everything we wanted - we needed a week, at least.

Winged Victory - Nike of Samothrace

Closeup of the Nike of Samothrace

While Trisha checked out the stuff on ancient Egypt, Annie
and I ate lunch on a balcony at the Louvre. The view was
great, the food was better, the experience was priceless.

Europe Day 6

2008-06-21T22:10:00.000-07:00

Day 6 was our day at Disneyland Paris. It was quite an adventure buying tickets for the metro, and it took us a while to find the ones that were not 50 Euros! I think it ended up being approximately 8 Euros each way, which was much better. It was an overcast day and looked like it might rain, but while we were getting our lunch, the sky opened up a torrential downpour. It poured for about 30-45 min and then it cleared up, and by the end of the day the sun was out. Crazy weather - reminded my of home :) I didn't take any pictures at Disneyland - let's face it Disney is Annie's thing - but I did get a Buzz Pez dispenser :) By the time we left the park, we were all pooped. I think we all had some of the best-night's sleep of the trip that night.

Annie and Jess at the entrance of Disneyland Paris.
Thanks, Annie, for the photo.

Europe Day 5 Part 2

2008-06-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

We toured the inside of Versailles, which is just a little over the top. I mean how big of an ego can one person have? The pictures don't do it justice. It's gold swirls and flowery stuff everywhere.

Painted ceiling in Versailles

Chandelier and painted ceiling

Painted ceiling

Tapestry

Hall of mirrors

Where's Annie? Can you find her among the crowd in the hall of mirrors

After leaving Versailles we spent the afternoon shopping. I got some cute tops, Annie bought a red dress and Trisha came along for the ride :)

Next was a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Annie only wanted to go to the middle level - she doesn't like heights - but we talked her into coming to the top, which I think she's glad she did.

View from the top

Annie taking a picture

Another view from the top. The Arc de Triomphe

Annie and Trisha

Me at the top. Do you like the windblown look?

One of the wheels that raises and lowers the elevators

Eiffel Tower

Europe Day 5 Part 1

2008-06-19T13:57:00.001-07:00

K. So I have tons of pictures - there was a lot to see. So I decided to divide Day 5 into two posts. At the top are some pics from previous days that I stole off of Annie's Facebook page :) The rest is from the gardens at Versailles, which were amazing. I could have spent a whole day in them instead of the hour that we had. They go on forever! The pics don't do it justice, but hopefully you'll get an idea of the scale from them.

Trisha, "Jane," Annie and Jessica outside of the Jane Austen House in Bath

Annie and Jess at Eiffel Tower

Trisha, Jess and Annie pose at the Eiffel Tower on our way to Versailles

The Statue of Liberty - in France

Trisha was really excited to see the gardens at Versailles
so that she could take pictures to use in school.

Sooooooooooo big! The gardens go on as far as the eye can see.

The precision in which they manicure the gardens is incredible.

One of many statues that are sprinkled throughout the gardens

Another statue

Trisha plays at being a statue.

I just thought this one was cool. I love the movement.

Annie takes a break at the gardens.

Another fountain

Formal garden at Versailles

Me and a statue holding what else? Flowers of course.

Europe Day 4

2008-06-18T23:33:00.000-07:00

Day 4 was the last in London :( Annie and I were among the last ones on the bus because we couldn't get an empty elevator! It was a long day traveling for us. We had to be to the bus way early to head for Dover and the ferry to France.

The castle and fortress at Dover

Annie and Trisha on the ferry

The white cliffs at Dover

After we arrived at our hotel in Paris we had dinner, which was very good btw, at our hotel and then set out for a bus tour of the city. There's not a lot of places a bus can stop, so keep in mind most of these pictures are from the bus and over Annie's head, since she was next to the window.

Part of the Paris Opera House. We were moving fast enough that this
was all I could get. At least it's the part that says choreography :)

Notre Dame Cathedral

Dome of the Invalides

Cool shot of the Eiffel Tower at sunset - even if it is a little blurry.

Sunset on the Champs

Eiffel Tower

Our awesome bus driver made an illegal stop so that
we could jump out and get pictures in front of the
Eiffel Tower. I've never seen a bus empty so fast!

Europe Day 3

2008-06-18T00:05:00.001-07:00

Day 3 was our last full day in London and it was crazy busy. We started out with a bus tour of the city with our group and then we were on our own. Following the tour, we made it to the National Gallery (and made the rounds faster than I've ever done in a museum), the tower of London and St. Paul's Cathedral all before 5 p.m. The group had tickets to a West End musical that night. We didn't know what musical it was prior to arriving in London, and once we found out, we quickly made a change in plans. The musical was "Lord of the Rings." That's right: All three books condensed into a three-hour musical. Doesn't that just make you want to run right out and buy tickets? OK, so I'm being sarcastic. But really, why would you want to ruin the story by making it a musical? As it turns out, we had a much better option. The Royal Ballet had a performance the same night that wasn't sold out. So of course that's what we went to. Three girls who met in ballet class on a trip to Europe - it was a no brainer. We sat in the fifth balcony, center. Yup, the theater was enormous! But even though we were far away, we still had a good view, and the show ("Dances at a Gathering" and " The Dream") was awesome. From what people in our group said, we didn't miss much at the musical, so we were really glad we decided to go to the ballet.

The clock tower that houses Big Ben (bells) at the British House of Parliament

Buckingham Palace

Band playing at the changing of the guard outside Buckingham Palace

Changing of the guard

Changing of the guard. By this point we were hot, bored and the band was playing
Abba music (not exactly what you'd expect at such an event), so we left.

Tower Bridge next to the Tower of London. Most people think this is London
Bridge, but the real London Bridge is actually a big ugly piece of concrete.

Tower of London

Tower of London

Dome of St. Paul's Cathedral in London

Facade of St. Paul's. The building was so big it was impossible
to get the entire structure into on frame!

Europe Day 2

2008-06-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

Day 2 found us on the road to Stonehenge and the city of Bath. Stonehenge was pretty cool for a bunch of rocks in the middle of nowhere, but it was visiting Bath that made for a fun day. For those who don't know, Bath plays an important role in several Jane Austen books. It's also the site of ancient Roman baths, which have been restored. Other than the smell of sulfur it was a blast.

Annie, Trisha and Jess in front of Stonehenge.

Stonehenge

I'm multi-talented. What more can I say?

Ancient Roman baths in Bath. Check out the chick on the right decked
out in Roman garb of the day. Now that's one styling hairdo.

Bath cathedral as seen from the Roman baths. The cathedral is right across the
square from the baths and makes an interesting juxtaposition of "old" and "new."

For Jane Austen fans - picture the scene in the latest version
of "Persuasion" where Ann is running around the city. This is
where she meets up with Captain Wentworth. Cool huh :)

First day in London!

2008-06-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

Our first day in London was action packed. We arrived early in the afternoon and took the Tube (subway) to our hotel in Russel Square. All things considered, we accomplished that pretty fast and with relative ease. We checked into our hotel, washed our faces and set out for the British Museum, which is home to the Rosetta Stone, Parthenon sculptures and lots of cool ancient sculptures and artifacts.

Me in front of an Assyrian lamassu.

Annie and Trisha are all business when it comes to ancient Egypt.

Trisha stands in front of some Egyptian statues. This photo makes me laugh.
I think she caught the attention of the guy next to her :)

I had to get a picture in front of Ramses.
I have an almost identical one from my trip there 9 years ago.

Getting started

2008-06-16T18:40:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my blog! I can't guarantee that I'll keep up with this . . . but I'll try.