the Searles

so long, farewell

2011-10-11T15:29:00.000-07:00

A few things on my mind today...

Firstly, we've been in Arizona now for almost a month. Crazy! It has been so enjoyable to unpack all of our old furniture, pictures, and other keepsakes that have been collecting dust for far too long. While we have loved setting up our new life here, I can't help but think about and miss dearly some of the more simple things about London. I miss walking everywhere, our second family of friends we met, trees, parks, the markets, the supermarkets, and so many more things. So, I've made a decision to bring some of that simplicity here to Arizona; whether it means walking to the supermarket rather than driving (when it's less than 100 degrees outside), limiting my internet-usage, spending more time at the park, or just staying in touch with friends. Life is definitely different, but we are so happy to finally have some stability. Brett's job is going well. He is very busy but doing great and making us proud.

Secondly, this move and the new job has opened our eyes to a whole new concept: the weekend. Before, although most weekends were full of relaxing, good food, games, movies, etc.-it was always paired with a dark cloud of "what has to be done by Monday" feeling looming over us. Now, it feels amazing to have nothing "due" on Monday. We can just enjoy the weekend together as a family. I never imagined it would feel so wonderful to be done with school, when I wasn't even the one in school.

Finally, I came to the conclusion of retiring from the blogging world. I have found myself absent from any motivation to post updates for people I don't even know sometimes. Hopefully email, facebook, and the phone will be sufficient means to stay in contact with our close friends and family. I might change my mind later, we will see, I just need a break for now.

The caravan to AZ. She only slept for one hour ALL.DAY.LONG.

How she enjoyed the move-in process: eating snacks and watching The Little Mermaid in her new room-have I mentioned her obsession with "Mee Mee" (Ariel)? It has been wonderful having Maya in her own room finally.

Maya has loved being able to go swimming almost everyday-love that belly

And here are a few pictures of our new home:

(still under construction and working on filling up the empty walls)

Until next time,

brett.mal.maya.

Three Cups of Tea

2011-10-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time

Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin

Kashmiri refugees in school. Pakistan. Image courtesy Central Asia Institute.

Long story short:

I was recommended to this book by a friend we met while living in Belgium in 2009. By the fall of that year I had started it, but had a lot of other reading materials on my mind as I was newly pregnant. I kept it close and read it very inconsistently. It was a slow read, but always intriguing to me; the ideas, stories and philosophies always in the back of my mind. It is semi-embarrassing to admit that I finished it only a month ago; but very proud to admit that it semi-changed my life. As a teacher, it struck a passion deep within me to contribute in some way to this incredible mission.

This post is a tribute to an amazing true story, a worthwhile cause and a people and part of the world I long to see.

For those not familiar with this book, here is a brief description taken from the book:

“In 1993 a mountaineer named Greg Mortenson drifted into an impoverished Pakistan village in the Karakoram Mountains after a failed attempt to climb K2. Moved by the inhabitants’ kindness, he promised to return and build a school. Three Cups of Tea is the story of that promise and its extraordinary outcome. Over the next decade Mortenson built not just one but fifty-five schools—especially for girls—in the forbidding terrain that gave birth to the Taliban. His story is at once a riveting adventure and a testament to the power of the humanitarian spirit.”

Upon completing this book, I found myself researching the Central Asia Institute, current events in that part of the world and how exactly I could help. I decided to write about it, so as to persuade somebody else to read this book and become inspired to reach out and help. It is incredible to read how one person, when so obviously guided by a higher power and placed in the right places at exactly the right times, can make a difference in so many lives and create something so motivational and inspiring for others.

Here are some of my favourite quotes from the book:

1. Mortenson quotes an author, Helena Norberg-Hodge, who wrote Ancient Futures and had spent years living among Ladakhi people in the nothernmost state of the Republic of India. I believe this quote is a very strong theme in this book and a philosophy that I agree in:

"Norberg-Hodge continues to argue not only that Western development workers should not blindly impose modern 'improvements' on ancient cultures, but that industrialized countries had lessons to learn from people like Ladakhis about building sustainable societies. 'I have seen,' she writes, 'that community and a close relationship with the land can enrich human life beyond all comparison with material wealth or technological sophistication. I have learned that another way is possible.'" (pg. 112)

2. This quote comes from Syed Abbas, a leader of northern Pakistan's Shia, and key supporter of Mortenson's mission. It was during a speech for the inauguration of a primary school in the small village of Kuardu on September 14, 2001, just days after the attack on the World Trade Center:

"'I request America to look into our hearts,' Abbas continued, his voice straining with emotion, 'and see that the great majority of us are not terrorists, but good and simple people. Our land is stricken with poverty because we are without education. But today, another candle of knowledge has been lit. In the name of Allah the Almighty, may it light our way out of the darkness we find ourselves in.'

'It was an incredible speech,' Mortenson says. 'And by the time Syed Abbas had finished he had the entire crowd in tears. I wish all of the Americans who think 'Muslim' is just another way of saying 'terrorist' could have been there that day. The true core tenants of Islam are justice, tolerance, and charity, and Syed Abbas represented the moderate core of Muslim faith eloquently.'" (pg. 257)

3. This last quote is from Congresswoman Mary Bono:

"'After I heard Greg speak, it was the least I could do,' Bono says. 'I meet so many people day in and day out who say they're trying to do good and help people. But Greg is the real thing. He's walking the walk. And I'm his biggest fan. The sacrifices that he and his family have made are staggering. He represents the best of America. I just wanted to do what I could to see that his humanity had a chance to rub off on as many people as possible.'" (pg. 291)

It is my plea for those reading this, to read this book, find out more about this mission and do your part to help. For those interested in reading more, Greg's story continues in his book Stones into Schools, focusing on his experience of expanding his mission into Afghanistan.

*Also, for all of you teachers out there, there is a wonderful international service learning program called Pennies for Peace that contains a K-12 curriculum linked to standards, loads of free printables ready to use and assessment tools (haven't used that word in a while). I kind of wish I had my own classroom to implement this.

Life's ingredients

2011-09-01T15:06:00.000-07:00

Living with food allergies is a challenge. You have to constantly be aware of every ingredient in anything that is in close contact to you.

Anaphylaxis is a nightmare. The fact that there is food out there that could potentially threaten your life is horrifying. It is even more horrifying to think of all the people around you who eat these very same things which are poison to you.

When we first became aware of Maya’s food allergies, we thought, “Okay, we can handle this.” It has been difficult to find things for her to eat, to alter every single meal and to pack food she can tolerate everywhere we go. For the most part, I feel like we have a handle on it. All except for that one day in June when the unthinkable happened, the nightmare became reality, and we realized how severe Maya’s milk allergy actually was, that it is her poison. I won’t go into too much detail, but leave it at this: it was in someone else’s hands. I felt helpless, but comforted at the same time. The words, “she will be fine,” were on repeat in my mind and I somehow found calmness amidst the chaos. I am happy and very relieved to now know that these come in a 2-pack.

I’ve thought about the incident a lot, but recently it has been on my mind more than usual. I think the cause is that Maya is growing up; she is becoming friendlier, she is nursery-age, she is into everything and the reality of actually living life despite her poison is more and more frightening. What happens when she goes to school and I can’t watch her at every meal? What happens when she is in public somewhere and a friend shares some snacks? How do I make everyone in her life aware of her life-threatening allergies? A question that is too overwhelming to think about.

A friend recently told me as I was explaining to her how to check for allergy warnings on nearly all ingredient lists, that if we inspected every “ingredient” in our lives, and what we expose ourselves to, as closely as one has to inspect ingredients for food allergies, how much happier and stronger we would be mentally, emotionally, spiritually. What is in your life that is acting as a poison or holding you back from something better? What would be listed in bold to warn you of danger in the ingredients of your life?

I loved this thought and how it created a positive and relatable spin for me on Maya’s allergies. Yes I get choked up over anaphylactic shock commercials on TV, but I try to stay positive and hope that food allergy awareness is becoming more and more widespread.

For now, it is one day at a time, one meal at a time and checking my own life’s ingredients just as carefully.

Maya enjoying dairy, egg and soy-free banana pancakes to celebrate her 18 months of life

I love this website for food allergies. Always positive and motivating with good recipe ideas.

I know I need to update the blog header…my being lazy and in denial and missing London...

Normal

2011-08-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

I wrote this before we received some really big and amazing news. The news of a job, stability, income, a home, maybe some normality. We’ve waited too long for this news and it feels wonderful.

We are moving to Phoenix in about a month. Brett is working with the state government in the Joint Legislative Budget Committee as a Fiscal Analyst. We feel so fortunate that it happened so quickly after we came home from London and are very grateful for the opportunity to start the next chapter.

Normal.

I don’t really understand the meaning of this word.

Since Brett and I were married, I’ve always thought that we haven’t really had a normal marriage or life. I think that everyone has a different version of the word normal. I guess in my head, a normal life was getting married, setting up house, graduating, finding jobs, moving once or twice and eventually starting our family.

For us, it was much different. In the last 3 years, we have moved a total of 9 times, lived in 3 different countries, 6 cities, had a beautiful baby girl, took turns looking for jobs, stored all of our furniture and nice wedding gifts in storage, finished graduate school, and have travelled all over Europe.

I feel that many people look at our life and diverse experiences with a skewed perception of it being the perfect dream life. Perfect? Absolutely not. An adventure? Absolutely. I have come to learn that things aren’t always as they appear on the outside- life is just life, wherever you live, complete with a fair share of adversity and problems.

It was difficult making so many new transitions, very difficult at times. Looking back on it, I am proud to say that I would not change one thing about the last 3 years. Everything we have seen, accomplished, endured and created has made our family stronger and closer.

As we are embarking on a new adventure and the next chapter (out of many) we are looking forward to settling down somewhere longer than 10 months. The job search and dissertation completion is daunting, but we are hopeful things will work out for the best. Meanwhile, Maya keeps us entertained constantly and we are enjoying each day as it comes.

Here’s to 3 more years times infinity of endless adventures, surprises and road bumps along the way.

Ireland

2011-07-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Ireland was a huge success.
So beautiful, so green, and so relaxing.
The people were SO friendly and warm.
We really enjoyed spending time alone together.
(Thanks mom and Wade for watching Maya!)

The Emerald Isle: Our Trip to The Dingle Peninsula Slideshow: Mallory’s trip from London, England, United Kingdom to Dingle, Ireland was created by TripAdvisor. See another Dingle slideshow. Create your own stunning slideshow with our free photo slideshow maker.

a london without Maya

2011-06-20T05:52:00.000-07:00

I recently returned home from a 2 week trip to Utah to attend my sis's wedding. She was stunning, He was a prince, it was perfect; if not for an anaphylactic scare and ambulance ride with Maya the day after I arrived in Pine Valley (another story for another time). To be brief, Maya is doing fine in Pine Valley, chasing Chester around and enjoying the beautiful outdoors. We decided to leave her there after what her poor body endured and bought tickets back to Utah for the beginning of July. Poor Brett hasn't seen her since the beginning of June and honestly, I think it will be so much easier leaving London now that we will have our little papaya there at the airport waiting for us.

London without Maya is definitely a lonely one. Brett has one more final, and my job is to pack up our flat into six large pieces of luggage by Friday for the couple moving in on Saturday. We are very much looking forward to our trip to Ireland (Happy Anniversary to us!) and a few more sights around London, just the two of us. The thought of flying solo (without a papaya on our laps) lifts a thousand pounds off my shoulders. On my flight to Utah, I became abruptly aware of Maya's sudden motion sickness during landing in Washington-Dulles as she threw up all over herself, me, her blanket, and luckily the aisle instead of a person. We did not smell good standing in that customs line.

London is our home, and it will be very hard to leave it all behind. We are unsure of what the future holds and are once again, stepping out into the unknown. Something President Uchtdorf taught recently has been on my mind, and I hope that we can apply it during these next few months of uncertainty to remember to focus on the things that matter most, to enjoy every minute of every day and to find joy in the journey.

“My dear brothers and sisters, we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most. Let us be mindful of the foundational precepts our Heavenly Father has given to His children that will establish the basis of a rich and fruitful mortal life with promises of eternal happiness.”

for brett during finals...

2011-05-28T04:03:00.000-07:00

as per your request, here is a little something to keep you smiling while buried in books...good luck and

we love you

The Shoe Corner

2011-05-21T03:01:00.000-07:00

Maya has a lot of shoes. We've been given almost all of them. Half are too big, half are too small. They sit in a corner in our living room. I put them there temporarily at first, then watched Maya grow attached to her little shoe corner, and decided to leave them out.

I've never seen her so content than when she is sitting with her shoes on and has her blankie.

Oh, and look who's finally walking! She is quite pleased with herself and the view from above.

The Blitz

2011-05-16T01:44:00.000-07:00

We had back to back visitors joining us here in London most of April and the first part of May. First, Grandpa & Grandma Searle came to visit and shortly after, Grandma Jan and Grandma Syd made the long journey to spend time with their long-lost children, and favorite grandchild (who we all know is the #1 purpose for everyone's visit!)

We had a great time gallivanting around London seeing the sights and taking a couple of trips outside of the city (during one of which Maya threw up on a bus all over Brett, me, and a lady named Linda). We were blessed with wonderful weather; no rain and lots of sunshine. Brett and I had postponed a lot of the London sights, knowing that we would be going with visitors, so we had fun seeing some things close by for the first time.

Applause to Maya, who was such a trooper all day everyday that we were out in museums, cathedrals, towers, castles, parks, etc. Our little London baby has seen so many things in her short life, and sadly will remember none of them. All the more reason for gobs of pictures and albums with her smiling face in front of so many historical sights.

Relaxing at the Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle

Laughing at Grandpa

Making friends with a Beefeater in the Tower of London

Pretty flowers outside of Buckingham Palace

This little girl all of a sudden decided to stand up and take some steps on her own. I guess she was waiting for a larger audience. So we bought her shoes and she's gaining confidence everyday...I CAN'T WAIT.

The moms went to Mamma Mia, it was awesome!

In front of Buckingham Palace

Stonehenge

Our mothers were here during the infamous royal wedding and we celebrated with an authentic English meal of bangers & mash with some close friends while watching the magical day on TV. We had been out sightseeing all that week and saw all of the preparations, not to mention Will & Kate (well masks that is). We were in Westminster Abbey on Tuesday and people were everywhere bringing in camera equipment, dusting, and basically making every tiny detail the perfect image that it was.

As far as heading towards Buckingham Palace on Friday, out of the question! Way too many people for us with our moms and a very hyper-active 15-month old. I did enjoy watching the wedding. It was fun to pick out all of the carriages and coaches that we had just seen at the Royal Mews. I loved Kate's dress, her simple bouquet, and laughed at Prince Harry's reaction to her walking down the aisle. So cute. I wish they only could have acted a little happier (they did just get married you know). A hand hold? Arm around the waist? A little wink? Kiss on the cheek? At least they finally kissed twice (supposedly against the Queen's etiquette lessons to the Prince).

I'm off to a wedding of a much closer relation...my sister's, in the beginning of June. It's a bit daunting to think about having Maya by myself on a plane (sadly Brett has exams) but I will be very happy to see my whole family and watch my beautiful sister get married to someone I can't wait to meet!

St. James Park

After that, it's a trip to Ireland, maybe Scotland, and then back to the USA. I don't want to think about the relocation yet, it is too soon. It came too fast, and I already miss England thinking about it: the markets, free healthcare, (repeat-free healthcare), windy park roads, fresh flowers on the corner, fresh baguettes, endless entertainment, good food, great shopping, walking everywhere, the list goes on. For now, I'm enjoying everyday we still have here.

(Sorry for the 2 novel-length posts in a row...and thanks to those who actually read them)

Holiday in Spain

2011-05-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a last minute deal from Thomas Cook Airlines, a cheap hotel with a balcony, kitchenette and 5-minute walk to the ocean, and warm weather, we had a wonderful, relaxing family holiday.

Grilled chorizo, pineapple, peppers and island spices over rice

After attempting to eat together the first night at the Hotel's restaurant while Maya tried to climb on the table and then proceeded to throw a fit, we decided to buy our own food and make good use of our kitchenette...good decision because we made some delicious meals.

The first day we were there, Maya was a little freaked out by the waves, but warmed up to them by the time we left. Little did we know she wouldn't want to play in the sand with the shovel and bucket we bought for her, but rather sit on her towel and eat pretzels. She did, however, take a swim in the ocean with Daddy.

Fuerteventura was a charming island with a fair share of half naked German retirees. When we arrived at the airport and got our rental car, we started driving and came to the realization that the scenery away from the coastline was oddly familiar. We thought it looked a little like someone had dropped Arizona, Utah, or New Mexico in the middle of the ocean. I kept telling Brett that I felt like we were in Mexico (I've never actually been) and he proceeded to sing the James Taylor classic "Mexico" throughout our entire stay. So the tagline for our holiday in Spain became "Oooohhh Mexico, I've never really been, but I'd sure like to go!"

Lunchtime bruschetta and fruit

Saying bye-bye to the ocean

The beach was rejuvenating, the water was warm, the sun was strong and Brett even brushed up on his Spanish. We played cards and Banana Grams on our balcony after putting Maya to bed and enjoyed the peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of London. Maya was such a trooper. More and more we are realizing how much she loves people. Everywhere we go, she talks to people and opens up conversation between us and strangers. She is one of a kind.

Last, but not least, the view from our drive back to the airport consisted of goats...lots of goats!

More to come on sightseeing in London and royal wedding chaos with the Grandparents!

getaway

2011-04-05T15:09:00.000-07:00

We're heading off to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands tomorrow for a much needed and relaxing vacation.

Sun.
Sand.
Waves.
Apartment hotel with a balcony.
Paradise.

Hasta luego!

Spoiled and the A&E

2011-03-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

The last month or so I have been spoiled by those I love.

Brett: took me to two West End musicals, "Wicked" (for my birthday) and "Les Miserables," both of which were amazing. Not to mention the birthday shopping spree...

Maya: has been a constant toy. She entertains me all day long and has been sleeping through the night CONSISTENTLY.

AuntHil: came to visit, gave me reason to see more of London, changed dirty diapers, did dishes and babysat while Brett and I went on a very refreshing and much needed date to dinner and a show (Les Miserables).

Tube ride to Greenwich

Greenwich Market

Greenwich Playground

Peter Pan playground

March has been a great month (especially now that we can watch March Madness until all hours of the night) minus one late-night stay at the A&E (Accident & Emergency). This little girl of ours decided to be even more picky than she already is, and have a severe reaction to formula milk, pepti-junior, designed for babies specifically like her (allergic to milk and soy). The protein in this formula is broken down into tiny bits so it is unrecognizable to most babies with milk allergies. In rare cases (Maya) babies recognize the tiny bits of milk and reject it.

Only about 15 minutes after trying to feed her some of this special milk (maybe two sips) before bed, instead of nursing, she started coughing and choking as if something was stuck in her throat. We figured she found a piece of string, lint, or other object on the floor and tried to swallow it. She threw up and continued to cough/choke. We couldn't get her settled down, so I took her in to try to nurse her to sleep, and she threw up again, covering her poor shaking body in red splotches of hives. She was breathing okay, but wheezing badly, sneezing and coughing. After a soak in the tub and a few calls to our GP, we were given the advice to take her to the A&E, as a precaution, in case she were to go into anaphylactic shock during the night. So we packed up and caught the number 4 bus to the hospital, where we waited from 10:30 p.m. until 2:30 a.m. in a hot, stuffy room filled with sick kids and communal toys (something disturbing about that). The only thing wrong with Maya at this point was that she was awake. I knew she was okay the minute we walked through the doors, but we waited to be safe, we waited because it was free.

After the doctor finally examined Maya and gave her a clean bill of health, we opted to walk the thirty minutes home, instead of waiting twenty minutes for the bus. On our way, we analyzed our whole experience and views about healthcare here in the UK. Bottom line is that we didn't have to evaluate our insurance coverage as a condition on whether or not to take her in. Bottom line is that all we had to tell the nurses and workers when we arrived was our address and Maya's symptoms. Bottom line, again, was that it was completely free. A trip to the ER in the US would have been put off in these circumstances due to high prices, hoping and praying that she didn't go into shock. Here, although we waited, we were assured she was fine and had the necessary help in case she did go into shock. It was definitely an unforgettable experience which was made complete by McDonald's ice cream, Chicken Little playing at least six times in the background, and occasional laughs. It is scary knowing that we are heading back to the states soon with no insurance and sky-high healthcare costs.

Here is a picture of our poor little Maya (courtesy of Dad...we did have some dirty looks for taking a picture in the A&E).

A&E, 11 March 2011, 1 AM

you can dance, you can jive

2011-03-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

See that girl,
Watch that scene,
This is our dancing queen:

Chores

2011-02-25T07:45:00.000-08:00

There have been several adjustments since moving to London. One in particular has been on my mind...

Grocery shopping is a burdensome job to do by myself in London. With no car, and having to take Maya with me, it poses quite the challenge to "stock up" as we were used to doing in the states. Now, it's more of a daily inventory of what we need, what is going to be cooked for dinner all week, and what I have room to carry home in the back pack and under the stroller.

As if this is not inconvenient enough, the actual shopping experience is madness. I can't push a cart and the stroller around at the same time, so I end up carrying a little hand basket that, by the time I'm ready to check out, is cutting off circulation in my arm. The other fun part comes from dealing with people who are crammed into the tiny aisles with their shopping carts, rolling grocery carriers, and/or strollers (filled with screaming kids...Maya included). It reminds me of a game of Frogger. On top of that, any potential breathing room is occupied by display cases and the checkout lines (ask Brett about Christmas Eve). After the long wait in the checkout line and the stress of bagging my own groceries before the worker starts ringing up the next shopper, we walk home, sometimes in the rain. Finding a place to put all of the groceries is another issue entirely. I never imagined grocery shopping would be such a time-consuming part of my life.

We end up going to the store at least 3 times a week (occasionally, dad is nice and stops on his way home for us). I guess the good thing is that it gets us out of the house and we always find creative ways to make it fun!

An adventure-yes...a chore-yes...easy-NO

Good reason for making the trek to the grocery store: a stop off at the park.

The One Year Old

2011-02-10T14:20:00.000-08:00

Maya is one. Life is still the same.

We had a party. We ate cake. She had an ice cream cone on her shirt. I opened her presents while Dad video-taped and she played with wrapping paper. We sang to her, I blew out her candle (again while Dad video-taped) and she buried her face in frosting. It was a memorable day.

I have to brag about her cake. Searched online for days and tested a couple of recipes, until I found one, altered it a little, and tasted goodness. Milk, egg, soy and nut free, it came out moist, rich and yummy. I'm no cake decorator, but did my best, and thought it looked cute.

I'm slowly realizing the fact that we no longer have a baby...she is a little girl. Something changed my perspective of her the moment she turned one. I found myself flipping through old newborn photos and barely remembering what she was like back then. She appears older, she changes everyday and learns something everyday. She watches what we do, copies us, talks to us, sings to us, waves, does the actions for "patty cake" and "the itsy bitsy spider," gives kisses on command, says "bye bye" on command, starting to walk with her walker (which is a milestone, considering the amount of times she has ended up on the floor with it on top of her), points to the pictures and words in her book and does so many more things that remind me constantly of how fast she is growing and learning.

So we find ourselves in the middle of February with a one-year old. Spring time is around the corner, and the sun has been out this week. Too bad we've been sick, or we could have soaked up some much needed rays. Brett has been consumed with schoolwork. The vast, unknown future of possibilities and uncertainty is shrinking, and I know that we'll be done with this adventure before we know it. Best to soak up every moment, rain or sunshine...because soon, we will be on a new adventure with a two-year old.

birthday girl

2011-02-02T06:05:00.000-08:00

This little girl is 1 today!

What? you say... When did that happen?

Even though she is under the weather, she is still mostly happy and crazy. We're spending the day watching cartoons, movies, wrestling, napping, eating, chasing, crawling, standing, clapping, singing, dancing...basically a Maya-style day...complete with presents, balloons, cupcakes and candles. Let the festivities begin!

crazy

2011-01-25T04:02:00.001-08:00

When most people ask how Maya is, there is one word that usually sums it all up: Crazy. I realize that a lot of parents probably refer to their children as being or acting crazy sometime, but Maya takes this to a whole new level. Her personality and charismatic attitude about life amaze us for how young she is. I don't think anyone has made us laugh like Maya does. She is everything good about life.

A brief summary of the craziness-

Maya:

whistles in the morning...

waves to the outside when I open the blinds...

tries purposefully to fall off the bed...

throws her body back onto the hard floor...

drinks her bath-water...

stuffs her mouth so full of food, she can't even chew...

points at the ceiling and loses her balance...

smiles so big you can see her tonsils...

kisses herself in the mirror, but just hits her head repeatedly...

chases every little kid she sees around at church...

dives off the bench head first at church...

picks up lint, crumbs, and tiny little specks of nothing off the floor and eats them...

looks like a caged animal sometimes after naps ready to tear up the world...

loves to do back flips with mom and dad...

loves to be thrown around on the bed...

walks with her hands on the ground, legs straight, and bum up in the air...

the instant her hand comes in contact with her blanket on the floor, her head goes down and her thumb goes in for a 10-second nap...

That is just a taste of the many quirks and sides of the Papaya.

Happy (almost) 1-year Birthday baby girl! We Love You!

You Brighten the World!

Merry Merry

2011-01-17T03:22:00.001-08:00

adj. mer·ri·er, mer·ri·est

1. Full of high-spirited gaiety; jolly.

2. Marked by or offering fun and gaiety; festive: a merry evening.

3. Archaic Delightful; entertaining.

4. Brisk: a merry pace.

Here is to a happy 2011 filled with lots of surprises and unknown events. A recap of our English Christmas holiday through pictures is below.

Oxford street and giant bears at Harrods

National Gallery, snowy day and Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park

Christmas morning...Maya LOVED the wrapping paper and boxes. She was so much fun to watch and made our Christmas more than Merry.

Enjoying a candy cane after church

Maya Papaya aka Coco Pebbles

And here are some award winning videos of our favorite little girl:

*If you listen carefully, you can hear her whistle :)

Alas, finally out of London

2010-12-22T07:58:00.000-08:00

We recently ventured out on our first family vacation here in England. It was a lot of fun to get away from the city and see a little bit of the English country-side. We saw a lot of interesting places, rich in history and mythology. I am a little biased with how much I enjoyed myself, because I didn't have to, 1. drive on the uncomfortable side of the road, and 2. spend the whole time viewing things from a pram, car seat or baby carrier (although at times, it looked quite nice and warm). Brett and Maya had fun as well...but needless to say, Maya was more than ready for a large floor to crawl around on, and Brett very happily welcomed public transportation back into our lives.

Here are some highlights of the things we saw...

1. 1st stop...Glastonbury. So cool! We hiked to the "Tor" (Maya was such a trooper in the cold) and walked around the Abbey remains, where we stopped to see where King Arthur and Guinevere's tombs were said to have once been. Maya enjoyed some geese and ducks and talked the whole time.

Our hike up to the Tor. She finally liked the Ergo! I couldn't get enough pictures of Brett and Maya with the picturesque background.

It was windy and so cold, her nose and cheeks turned red.

Remains of the Abbey. The original location of what was believed to be the first Christian church in all of Europe.

-Drove to Wells, England. It turned out to be quite difficult navigating, especially in the dark, but we made it. Brett was seriously GOOD at driving despite the narrow, winding roads, the vast number of roundabouts, and road signs that confused us more the longer we tried to decipher them.

2. Wells Cathedral=stunning! So quiet and peaceful in a small little English town with beautiful landscape surrounding it. We soaked in the architecture and history for a while, drooling over the intricate details and beauty, then grabbed dinner before leaving Wells.

Wells Cathedral

-We stayed the first night in a place called Clevedon, which is right on the coast. Our room even had a view of the sea!

The Clevedon Pier

Maya enjoying the view from our room

3. Bath, England. Bath was a beautiful city. It obtained its name from the Roman Baths. It was interesting to learn how important bathing was to the Romans. They traveled from all over Europe to bathe in the hot spring in Bath. Possibly due to the influence of the Romans, Bath has continued to have a rich architectural heritage. An example of which is the beautiful Bath Abbey.

Views of the city Bath

The Bath Abbey

The Roman Baths-

As you can see, Maya hung out in a back-pack the museum provided because we couldn't take the pram inside.

-We stayed the second night outside of Bristol at a Holiday Inn, and enjoyed a relaxing breakfast and swim.

4. Avebury, England. The Avebury Ring, which encircles the village of Avebury, is a stone monument older than the famous Stonehenge. It was incredible how large these stones were (up to 40 tons) and to think about how the people living 5,000 years ago would be able to create the structure. The origin and purpose of the Avebury Ring remains a mystery, but like Stonehenge, scholars believe that the structure was built for worship.

-We quickly realized just how tricky it was to rent a car and drive here in England. It is not just about being on the other side of the road. We found ourselves stuck on Motorways, passing where we wanted to exit, trying to maneuver on the tiniest roads barely wide enough for one car and lost in a sea of roundabouts. I navigated for most of the trip and must say I became quite good at it by the end. We also came to the harsh reality that it is not as easy traveling with a little one in the back seat. She is only one little body, but so much work.

We're glad we were able to go, and came home just in time..right before the massive snowfall (only massive by London standards). There were about 4 inches on the ground and it was beautiful. We are enjoying the break from school and being able to spend more time together. We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas holiday!

thanksgiving treat

2010-11-25T09:04:00.000-08:00

As a Thanksgiving gift to family members across the pond, here are some videos of Maya, long overdue :)

We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

*Our theory is that she developed this method of opening doors after having fallen on her face by pushing the door open while on her knees...

the tube

2010-11-14T14:29:00.000-08:00

Disgusting.

Crowded.

Smelly.

Cramped.

Hot.

Dirty.

Necessary.

Efficient.

Fast.

Easy.

All words I've thought of while riding the tube. While mostly reliable (other than when the strike or maintenance happens) and highly necessary, I do not enjoy journeys on the tube. I have not mustered up the courage to venture out into the city via tube by myself, with Maya. Even with all of us, people usually help Brett carry the stroller up/down stairs, which has been convincing evidence and increased my motivation to try it solo.

What Brett thinks,

Claustrophobia .

Rush hour.

Mind the gap.

Delay due to person under train.

Oyster card.

Northern Line.

Study time.

And here is what Maya thinks of the tube,

Exciting.

Loud.

Lots of people to make friends with.

Bright colors.

Her reaction in this video is very subdued from being worn out and just plain exhausted!

Playing with Dad and the Christmas lights in Covent Garden

Fun in the tub with ducky

Me, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

Boo at Bermondsey, Easter Island, Guy Fawkes, etc.

2010-11-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to update this for a while now, but have had a hard time getting started on what to write about. Brett just told me to give the people what they want: pictures... so here are a lot of pictures that are mostly self-explanatory. Know that we are doing well, staying busy, and that Maya, now 9 months old(!), is having fun exploring anything and everything she's not supposed to.

Yummy food at the Borough Market (my first attempt at paella...don't ask what Brett had)

It's just a better hot dog, Hyde Park style.

Our Halloween at "Boo at Bermondsey" (turns out you can't do much for Halloween with a baby)

Here is Maya in her make-shift Halloween costume: Dark Fairy, inspired by the muesli lady at Borough Market.

The tower bridge

Views of St. Paul's Cathedral

The Rosetta Stone and Easter Island statue at the British Museum- which is right by LSE, meaning Maya and I will spend a lot more time here! It is so huge, it will take several visits.

On a side note, this weekend was Guy Fawkes Day. A crazy holiday to "remember, remember the fifth of November." Fireworks started heavily on Friday and went on well until Saturday night. It has been an intense weekend. We didn't have pay to go anywhere to see fireworks, we watched from our window!

Meanwhile....we're planning a British Thanksgiving!!!

perspective

2010-10-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

Time is going fast. We came to the realization that we've been here almost one month. Wow. We are settling in to our new life here and becoming accustomed to everything.

My days begin with Maya, are filled with Maya and end with Maya. We go to the shops down Holloway road often to stock up on food and other necessities. She's always a trooper and loves all the different people to look at and try to make friends with. On a nice day we make our way to the Heath and enjoy the trees, ponds and ducks.

Brett's days begin with homework, are filled with classes and seminars and end with homework. He is working very hard and usually comes home to Maya and me in the kitchen making dinner and pulling faces at each other. I've never seen a happier face than hers when he walks through the door...priceless.

The building our flat is in was supposed to have access to a laundry facility, but due to some leaky roofs, it has been down. Now, we are being told that the repairs may be too expensive to fix. Well, with a baby and two of us, you can imagine the pile of laundry that grows exponentially every day. So we had to do something about it. Our neighbors told us about a plastic washing machine that they bought, so we researched. We found one for 60 pounds and decided to go for it. It is called a twin tub and has two sides: one for washing and rinsing, and another for spinning. It's not the most ideal way to clean your clothes, but it gets the job done and has been a huge relief from the pricey launderette.

I've been thinking a lot about perspective. How my perspective of our flat, neighborhood, and even London in general has changed dramatically from when we first arrived. I realized that things are not so foreign, the streets not so confusing, our flat not so drab and plain. I'm starting to feel more at home and a lot more comfortable. I don't know if it is from time, from some simple decorations we picked up on our long journey to IKEA, or just having a better attitude, but I'm glad that my perspective is changing.

Our IKEA adventure

There have been four things on my mind that have helped with the transition. 4 lifesavers.

1. Skype...I love being able to talk to my family and friends whenever I want. It is amazing how close you can feel being so far away. It's even better than a cell phone...we can actually talk face to face!

2. Baby Jogger...we invested in a really nice, easy to fold, somewhat lightweight stroller (or buggy) before we left. All I have to say is that one standing-room only, crowded bus with 3 other buggies made me so grateful that I was able to unbuckle Maya, fold up the stroller, squeeze my way off of the bus, unfold the stroller and buckle her back in-holding her and the diaper bag the whole time. GENIUS!

3. Surf The Channel...I can keep up on all my favorite shows from home as well as seasons and seasons of older ones-(as long as you know the tricks)

4. The Heath...a place where I can feel like I'm in the beautiful outdoors hiking, yet see the city skyline and watch the ducks and geese with Maya.

The Somerset House

Recently...we visited Trafalgar Square and the Somerset House (on Last Chance Harvey...see it if you haven't) and Covent Garden, again. I also took Maya and registered with a GP (general practitioner). You can imagine my face when they didn't ask for my insurance card, a co-pay, or any form of money whatsoever. I sort of just stood there, confused, until the lady finally said, "that's all, you can leave." This week we were very grateful we were registered when Maya broke out with a rash and a fever. I called the office, the doctor called me back promptly and told me to come in. She gave Maya a prescription for antibiotics, which I received in 5 minutes...again, with no payment, insurance or any information other than my address. The doctor said she probably has strep. Poor girl...still so happy and smiling. Oh we love her!

(for the grandmas)

the biggest move

2010-09-29T07:57:00.001-07:00

Believe it or not, we made it to London. It was a relatively stress-free journey, complete with Maya having her own seat on the plane, meeting our luggage at baggage claim, having a transfer service drive us to our new flat, stepping into a very old, large and empty flat and feeling completely displaced from our world and reality. After several runs to the store, hauling a lot of stuff down some busy roads (mainly Brett), our place is beginning to look and feel more like home. We didn't realize how much of a job it would be getting set up before Brett started school, but it has been one long week.

Brett has had a lot of meetings this week and orientation. His actual classes start on Monday. We all went to campus yesterday and it is so much different than any other campus we've seen. It is right in the middle of the city in some large buildings kind of spread out. Brett would show me the LSE logo on the front of different buildings in the area just as we were walking down the road.

Maya loves the hustle and bustle of the big city...the cars, buses, and she especially loves the tube. Yes, we took her on the tube. It really is entertaining to watch her talk to everyone around her and try to grab their newspapers or watches. Some people drool over her, while others do everything in their power to ignore her completely. She has definitely kept me sane while trying to adjust to this new lifestyle. I just look at how happy she is no matter what her surroundings and am reminded of how I should be :)

We're happy with where we live for the most part. It's just a really old house that has been converted into apartments/flats. There are 12 total and we are on the first floor. It is kind of off the busy roads and in a quieter residential type area. Everyone living in our building attends LSE. We've met some nice neighbors so far, even some with kids. There is so much diversity here.

All in all, we are adjusting and things are starting to fall into somewhat of a routine.

So here are a few pictures of our journey...

Thanks to all of our family for your help and support. We love and miss you!

Countdown UK: 1 week

2010-09-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

We officially leave for London in one week. To sum up things going on around here: crazy! I'm really excited to be there, not so much for the journey...(a 7-month old crawling baby who doesn't like to snuggle and is into anything and everything within her reach doesn't make for a relaxing plane ride.)

An adventure awaits...

I'm more than ready to get away. I feel as though we've been in limbo since I found out I was pregnant. Now this is the first big step we're making as a family and I couldn't be happier. I even have a little papaya to keep me company while Brett slaves away at school. All I have to say is that I'm so grateful that my husband is a hard worker and is willing to do what it takes to provide for our family. He really is quite amazing and I consider myself so lucky.

On another note...Maya's world has been vastly expanding. She now can crawl and loves to discover new things. It is awesome watching her eyes light up from the most random things (i.e. a vent on the kitchen floor).

At just 7 months old Maya...

rode her first horse with cousin Colton;

saw her first BYU football game, and

can legally enter the United Kingdom;

This girl has been busy!

Until next time, from over the ocean...

Yard Sale Theft

2010-08-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

In pursuit of our move to London, we had a yard sale to raise funds and clean out our storage unit. We advertised only a little and had a tremendous turnout. Having posted the start time at 9, we found ourselves scrambling to get everything out on the front lawn for everyone arriving by 8. We sold almost half of everything we had out before 9.

Feeling successful and pretty good about our day, I had the urge to take a picture, only to find that where I had last left the camera, on a chair by the cash box, there was no longer a camera. My heart dropped and I asked everyone if they'd seen it. We looked for a while until the inevitable realization came upon us suddenly; someone had stolen it. I guess they read our signs as, "buy a $2 shirt and get a $200 camera for free!" Who are these sick people? The worst part was how violated I felt. Luckily there weren't more than 10-20 new pictures of Maya that I hadn't uploaded. Brett kept reassuring me by telling me that whoever took it will have to spend a lot of money to keep it working.

At least we made enough money to buy a new camera and have a little leftover.

Our advice to all: don't take pictures of your yard sale!

visas & allergies

2010-08-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

It is August and we are finalizing all of our preparations for the big move. I can't believe it is already here. This summer has flown by and Maya is already 6 months old and almost crawling! She's still very small for her age (5th percentile) but is so active and happy. Brett calls her his little capuchin monkey.

We took her to an allergist last Friday for concerns about hives and allergic reactions she was getting from milk products (formula). She was so funny at the doctor's office; smiling and happy, completely unaffected by the nurse scratching her back with common allergens; she just wanted to play. Everybody loved her. She is always bringing out the best in people with her magnetic, charming personality and crazy attitude about life. I hope that continues throughout her life. On to the bad/disappointing news: dad's childhood food allergies were passed on! We found out she is allergic to milk, egg, peanut, and dog.

{sigh}

"She'll grow out of it," is everyone's response, and I can only hope that comes true and that they don't become worse. So, yes, my baby girl has an Epipen Jr. and it makes me so sad. All kinds of thoughts keep running through my head...what do I make her for her 1st birthday without eggs and milk? How will she survive her young childhood without Grandma's famous chocolate cake and a (real) warm chocolate chip cookie? I know I'm probably over-reacting, so we're taking it one day at a time. I am not supposed to wean her off nursing as soon as I would have liked, but I know that's probably a good thing. We just have to be careful of what we eat and hopefully it won't last forever! At least she doesn't realize what she's missing, me on the other hand....

We are looking forward to a British holiday season. Hopefully we'll receive our visas soon, (so we can actually go!) which will be the last big thing we need to do. Overwhelmed...anxious...nervous...excited...happy...all of the above, we actually can't wait to have our own place again! It will be sad to say good bye to family and friends, but hopefully we can convince people to come visit...any takers? We do have a one-bedroom apartment!

summer

2010-07-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

family reunions...4th of july...baseball...swimming...bear lake...grandma's house...friends...

The Last Frontier

2010-07-06T21:08:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to Alaska! It was awesome. We were so happy that we were able to go. I loved showing Brett and Maya around all the places that I grew up visiting. We went fishing, hiking, took the Moku (our newly acquired family boat) out in the ocean, and saw eagles, bear, and a ton of moose! I was really nervous about taking Maya that far on an airplane, but we figured it would be good practice for London. She did so great too. She slept through most of both flights and endured a 10-mile hike, hanging out by the side of a river while we tried to catch fish and a lot of long car rides. Here is a small preview of our ten days in Alaska

Mine is the biggest :) 60 pounds!!! I couldn't even reel him in by myself.

It was a beautiful day, but we didn't catch any big ones.

Hiking the Russian River twice in one day! (The things we do for fish!) Dad carried Maya in the Moby and it was so cute. We even caught some fish!

Fishing off of Moku. It was BEAUTIFUL!

Brett's proud catch

Maya driving the Moku!

Her first ocean experience.

We're officially moving to London in September. We just received baby Maya's passport, cutest thing, and we finalized our living accommodations. We're becoming very anxious and excited!

We are going to...

2010-05-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

Maya is very excited!!!

Having fun in Pine Valley with Wade, Hil and Grandma

3 Months

2010-05-05T15:40:00.000-07:00

Maya is now 3 months old! I know so many people who say that it goes by so fast, and I agree (kind of). I can't believe she's already 3 months, but it also feels like we've had her forever.

Maya...

weighs 11 lbs. 1 oz.

is an avid thumb-sucker

sleeps through the night now

finally getting better at eating!!!

talks, smiles and laughs at just about anyone when she's in a good mood

talks to her hands

is constantly moving about (why we think she's not fatter)

blows bubbles

loves watching TV

is growing out of all her clothes only vertically

twirls her hair

Oh we love the Papaya!

Looking forward to a trip to Alaska this summer and a new chapter starting graduate school! (whereabouts still unknown)

Maya's Blessing, the big move, etc.

2010-03-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

Maya's blessing day, March 7, 2010

We really wanted to bless her in our home ward in Salt Lake before we moved. We met some incredible friends there and will really miss it. It was an amazing day and Maya did so well. She didn't cry at all and looked at her daddy during the whole blessing. We had so many family members and friends come to support her. It was a beautiful and very perfect day.

Hanging out in the crib while we were moving out.

She loves her AntHil! It was convenient having a lot of family around for the blessing to help with the big move to Vernal!!!

I just love her little body.

She starts school next week.... :)

She sucks her wrist and fingers sometimes...the thumb was a one time thing, I think. I almost died, it was so cute.

Gotta love her

Seven weeks old! She was so excited about it :) She smiles and talks to us all the time. It is so much fun. She has the funniest personality.

Brett has heard back from almost all of the graduate schools, and he's been accepted to BYU, University of Albany, NY, one in California and the London School of Economics. We have some big decisions to make and are so excited. We will be moving to one of these places this fall, or late summer.

We're letting Maya decide :)

Maya

2010-03-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

These are some pictures that my wonderful friend Brittany took of Maya when she was almost one month old. She did such a great job!!!

We blessed her this past Sunday (pictures to come soon) and had a blast with our family and friends that came for Maya's big day. My sis flew in from San Francisco and totally surprised me, it was awesome. LOVE YOU ANTHILL!!!

Our Little Papaya

2010-03-10T15:40:00.000-08:00

(Sorry these pictures are out of order)

Sometimes she has a hard time opening both eyes at once.

Gotta love that smile and that belly!

She has daddy's bottom lip :)

She loves her hands and always folds them. This was on her way to her first doctor's appointment. Just over a week old.

Maya Elizabeth Searle was born on February 2nd. She was 6 lbs. 14 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long. It's taken me a while to post anything because we had a rough start with her spending the first week of her life in the NICU. She's home now and doing so well! Here are some newborn pics from the hospital and after we came home. She is so much fun and smiles all the time.

We're still waiting to hear back from graduate schools to see where our lives are headed. Meanwhile, we're waiting it out in Vernal.

little pink hangers

2010-01-12T19:16:00.000-08:00

We had a fun Christmas in COLD Vernal with Brett's Dad, Mary (his step-mom) and Chester. We received a lot of baby goods, which was fun and weird at the same time. I missed my family but loved the thought of having an almost one-year old next Christmas...CRAZY!

I've still been teaching pre-school and babysitting. Next week is my last week working, which will be nice....I've been so exhausted. Brett had his 25th birthday, and has been studying hard for the GMAT which he takes this week. Grad school choices are: BYU, State University of New York at Albany, Monterey Institute, and two schools in London. We'll find out around March...I'm anxious!

Now, all of a sudden, it's January and I'm 38 weeks pregnant. It seems so surreal to both of us at this point and I keep having reality checks, like when I started putting little pink hangers in our closet-I had a minor freak-out. I had a wonderful second baby shower last weekend and I think our little girl has just about as many clothes as we do!!! I can't believe that it's already time to start doing things like: install the car-seat, put up a crib, wash baby clothes, pack bags for the hospital, etc.

I am 37 1/2 weeks in this picture....full term!

We used Chester as a prototype for all of the baby gear :)

3 moms (almost), 2 grandmas

a baby shower and a little bit of turkey

2009-11-30T17:21:00.000-08:00

We had a really good Thanksgiving down at my parent's house in beautiful Pine Valley. Hilary even made it!!! My good friend Shari gave me a baby shower the Saturday before, and it was a lot of fun. It made the fact that I'm having a baby in 2 months all the more real. Brett is really excited. He keeps pretending like my stomach is a basketball, grabs it and pretends like he is shooting a 3-pointer. I'm going on 32 weeks and feel really good so far. I have a part-time job teaching pre-school right now. It's exhausting, but perfect for our situation.
Brett has started a GMAT study course at the U and will be applying for grad school next year. It's an exciting time, but scary not really knowing where we'll be. We're so excited to meet our little girl. She moves so much and I can almost feel her growing everyday. Merry Christmas!!!

I am obsessed with this outfit that we bought. I couldn't resist, even though it won't fit her for a year :)

31 Weeks!!!!

Some people from the shower. My mom made the cutest blanket for baby girl!

I love my sister!

nothing better

2009-10-26T15:51:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have wanted to see pictures, here are a few. Brett has still been commuting to work in Vernal and I've been substitute teaching and tutoring as much as I can.... throw in a few BYU football games, the Yankees winning the Pennant and being 26 1/2 weeks pregnant, things are good and time is flying by. I can't believe our little girl will be here so soon, we can't wait to meet her, there will be nothing better. We love where we're living and have met some amazing people.

This is up in the Uintah mountains over Labor Day.

Pretty day, but horrible game against TCU :(

He hates this sweater, but it keeps him warm :)

I'm about 25 weeks in both of these pictures

"Expect to be Surprised"

2009-08-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

We recently moved into our new apartment in Salt Lake City. It's in a much more diverse area, and we really love it. We took Chester with us at least until December. It's been amazing having a place of our own again. I forgot what it was like to live alone together after staying with so many family members over the summer, of whom we are so grateful for. I stopped looking for a full time teaching job due to some unexpected and exciting news. There will be a new little Searle towards the end of January and we are so happy. We have realized that life really doesn't turn out the way you plan, and you just have to be adaptable and grateful for the little surprises and big surprises that are thrown your way.

So we are looking forward to the next several months and meeting our new little one. The sex will be known in a week and a half. We can't wait. Meanwhile, we are working, laughing, eating and playing.

Here are some pictures of moving in our new apartment!!!

Roma

2009-04-16T00:51:00.000-07:00

We're in the middle of packing everything up to leave tomorrow morning. We are excited to get home and see our family. We made it to Rome last week and had a fantastic time. We had some trouble getting there, but that is a long story. It was sunny and warm the whole time, I even got a sunburn! Anyways, here are some pictures. Rome is a beautiful city with so much history. We saw the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican, Palatine Hill, Roman Forum, Colosseum and SO much more. It was amazing (not to mention the gelato we had about 8 times).

Us in the Colosseum

If you look closely, you can see the Spanish Steps behind me.

The Roman Forum, my favorite!

We ate dinner at the Pantheon, it was so fun....live music and everything!

Easter morning, we went bike riding along Appian Way out in the country. It was beautiful.

The world's largest McDonald's and the best ice cream: Gelato

A view of Rome, you can see St. Peter's Basilica on the left.

I loved all of the cobblestone streets and buildings.

Italy then Home!

2009-04-08T07:20:00.000-07:00

We are heading to Rome, Italy bright and early tomorrow morning. We return to Brussels on Monday and go home back to Utah that Friday. We can't believe it's already time to go home. Time has gone by so fast and it's amazing to think about all of the wonderful places we've been and seen together. We can't wait to see Italy. We will be there for 4 days and are planning to spend one of those days in Pompeii. It will be crazy, being Easter weekend, but we are excited...especially for the Napoleon Pizza :)

Before we leave, here are some pictures of Ghent, Belgium (where we went last Saturday). I don't know if I'll be able to post more after we return from Italy, so good bye for now! Happy Easter!!!

Bastogne

2009-04-06T06:33:00.001-07:00

Two weekends ago we went to a place in Belgium called Bastogne. It is where the Battle of the Bulge was fought during WW2, which was a crucial battle for the US. It was awesome to see a huge memorial dedicated to the United States Military all the way in Belgium. There was a museum full of authentic army supplies, weapons and uniforms. It was a cold, but fun day.

Thanks Brent and Mary :)

Haarlem & The Hiding Place

2009-04-03T05:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Haarlem in the Netherlands with a book club from our ward. I was the youngest one with 4 other women/mothers and felt a little out of place, but still had a great time. We had just finished reading "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom. We took a tour of the ten Boom's house and saw the real hiding place. It was a really neat experience being in that little house with a Dutch woman telling us about the family who made their home a place of refuge and comfort for so many people. I enjoyed the book and the private little tour a lot. I think that we can all learn something from the mission and faith of Corrie ten Boom. Here are some pictures.

The bottom shelf would open up and that is where the entrance to the hiding place was. The wall is knocked out so you can see inside. 6 people were in hiding there for 4 days without food or water, survived and were never found by the Gestapo.

This is for Brett and his love of windmills.

London Baby

2009-03-31T02:33:00.000-07:00

Okay so I know I'm behind on posting pictures. We went to London 2 weekends ago from Friday to Monday afternoon. It was amazing. We loved it. We stayed with some of Hil's old friends from the YSA ward there, and they were so much fun and entertaining. Their names were Imma and Maria. They are both from Italy and made us some delicious authentic pasta and pizza. We loved London. The weather was beautiful, sunny and warm. Our favorite things in London were the parks, the markets and the fish n' chips. Here are some pictures, enjoy!

In front of Buckingham Palace, attempting to watch the changing of the guards.

Westminster Abbey

Me at Picadilly Circus

We went to the Portobello Road market in Notting Hill. It was so much fun. Amazing food! This is just one of many sausages and/or hot dogs consumed by Brett. They were delicious.

This bench has a funny story, too long to tell here. Basically it has our name on it and my birth date. Cool!

The parks were beautiful, as were the red phone booths :)

This is us standing in different hemispheres at the Observatory.

We found my favorite cookies in the world, Ben's Cookies at Covent Gardens! So yummy!!!

The Tower of London. We didn't have time to take the tour, but it looked awesome. We'll just have to go back :)

Us in front of the tower bridge

St. Paul's Cathedral

We found some really good fish n' chips and ate them outside looking out on the Thames River.

Hillary & Joe

2009-03-17T03:43:00.000-07:00

Brett had the privilege to meet Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden a couple of weeks ago at the Embassy. He was really excited and was one of the few to actually shake Hillary's hand. He also mentioned that she was surprisingly short. He was even able to talk to Joe. Pretty cool!

The Netherlands

2009-03-17T02:13:00.000-07:00

We went to the Netherlands last weekend. We started out in The Hague and went to the LDS temple, then went to Amsterdam. The temple was beautiful and it was such a good experience.

It was raining in The Hague, but very beautiful. The temple was the smallest one we've seen.

Some views of the canals in Amsterdam. We took a canal cruise and saw a lot of the city. It was beautiful.

We went to the Anne Frank house or the "Secret Annex" where the Franks were in hiding. It was very moving to see what it was like and what they lived in for so long. Please read this book if you haven't already.

"When I write I can shake off all my cares. My sorrow disappears, my spirits are revived...I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support." (1942)

"One day this terrible war will be over. The time will come when we'll be people again and not just Jews! We can never be just Dutch, or just English, or whatever, we will always be Jews as well. But then, we'll want to be." (April 9, 1944)

We also went to the Van Gogh museum. We saw over 100 of his paintings, including The Starry Night. It was really awesome.

Brett eating his favorite food: frites.
They were some of the best ones
we've had yet in Europe. The place was called Mannekin Pis :)

Germany

2009-03-11T05:46:00.000-07:00

We spent last weekend in Germany. We went to Aachen, Cologne and St. Goar. The top three things we did were: 1) see the Cologne Cathedral, 2) visit a chocolate museum in Cologne, and 3) travel down the Rhine to the Rheinfels Castle ruins. All of the following pictures are from those places. It was a great weekend.

The minute we walked out of the train station in Cologne, we saw this directly in front of us. It was stunning. It was started in 1248 and wasn't completely finished until 1880-something. The history of it is amazing and it was awesome to learn about.

The bright gold shrine is said to hold the remains of the 3 Magi, or the 3 wisemen.

The Lindt Chocolate Factory/Museum. So cool, like Willy Wonka's, almost. Oh, and yes, that is chocolate pasta above.

This is in St. Goar at the Rheinfels Castle ruins. It was so cool. There were little passageways and dungeons that we had to have a candle to go into.

On top of the highest tower of the castle

Some of the mine tunnels that we could barely crawl down into.

These are pretty self-explanatory. Basically, I hit my head, and instead of seeing if I was okay, Brett decided to take pictures of my pain.

The Rhine river was so cool.

In Bruges

2009-03-03T07:25:00.001-08:00

We went to Bruges last Saturday. It is a little town about an hour outside of Brussels. It was beautiful and even sunny! It was full of tiny little cobblestone streets, canals and really cool medieval buildings. We ate some delicious but truly unhealthy food there and had a great time.

Me in front of the Market Square (notice the bear-like dog in the background). The Belfry of Bruges that we chose not to walk up hundreds of stairs to see.

This was a beautiful church that housed Michelangelo's "Madonna and Child" sculpture. It was awesome. Loved the Gothic architecture.

We went on a canal boat tour and it was so much fun (as you can see from Brett's face). We even learned about the history of Bruges. The weather finally felt like the beginnings of Spring.

A brief look at the really yummy but horrible food we ate. 1. Bratwurst (Brett only) 2. Frites (french fries) 3. Chocolates and truffles 4. The best waffles we've had yet with chocolate sauce and strawberry sauce.

Birthday & Smores

2009-02-25T03:49:00.000-08:00

My birthday was this past Monday, February 23rd, and I turned 23! It was a great day. Brett brought home some very delicious dessert and tulips that hadn't blossomed yet so I can enjoy them open and grow.

My mom also sent me a box full of goodies: Mamma Mia, Mango Mandarin Body Cream, Reeses Hearts, Sweet Tart Gummy Hearts, and more. Thanks Mom!

The other day we decided to make smores. We roasted the marshmallows on our electric stove (which was tricky) and found some crackers with chocolate already on them! They turned out very tasty.

Switzerland

2009-02-18T02:59:00.000-08:00

We left for Switzerland early on Friday morning. It was a 7 hour train ride to a place called Basel. The first 5 hours of the train ride, we had a whole cabin thing to ourselves on the train, so we stretched out and slept for a while. It was nice. From Basel, we took another train to Lucerne where we stayed Friday night. It was a really cool little city on a beautiful lake. We walked around the "Old Town," saw some cool buildings and ate the most amazing Italian food we've ever had at a restaurant called La Gondola. We woke up to snow on Saturday morning, Happy Valentine's Day, went to see a Picasso exhibit and started on another train for Interlaken.

Random funny things in Switzerland: 1-masks everywhere, (we are still clueless as to why) 2- Grown adults riding horse like sledges down the Alps between Murren and Gimmewald, 3- People walking down the street in Lucerne with wooden shoes, 4-Weird hanging farm animal sculptures inside the train station in Lucerne, 5- Funny statue monument in Lucerne.

The two top pictures are the amazing train ride from Lucerne to Interlaken. It was foggy, so we couldn't see the mountains very much, but the lakes and rivers were beautiful. The two bottom pictures are of Interlaken. It was a beautiful little town right in the middle of the Alps. We stayed Saturday night in Rugenpark Hotel. It was nice...it even had its own bathroom (or WC) !!!

This is us in Interlaken on Valentine's Day. We went to a restaurant called The Baren for a traditional Swiss meal. Then we bought some chocolates and truffles that changed my life.

On Sunday morning, the weather was beautiful and sunny, so we decided to go up into the mountains. We went to a place called Murren. It was a little "car-free" village up in the Alps. It took 1 train, 1 gondola ride, and 1 more train to get there. We walked down a path for a while toward another village called Gimmewald, which was much older and looked abandoned. Old, old, wooden houses, farm animals and zero cars.

The Alps were stunning. Unlike anything we've ever seen. It felt like we were on top of the world. So beautiful. We saw a lot of sledging (basically what we call sledding) down the same path we were walking. Not just kids either, but grown adults, and even the elderly. One of the below pictures is of Brett attempting to dry his shoes off. Yes, we had some serious problems with wet shoes whilst walking through the snowy Alps, but it was totally worth it!

After coming back down off the mountains, we walked around Interlaken one last time, went in some shops and ate at McDonalds. Believe it, it's true and it was good. We then caught a train from Interlaken back to Lucerne, where we stayed again on Sunday night. We arrived in Lucerne around 9 PM at which point we walked around for 45 minutes looking for the Hotel Alpha. Luckily we found it before they closed the front desk down.

We woke up and caught yet another train from Lucerne to Basel where we enjoyed some yummy food and bought treats for the LONG train ride home. Our train left at around 1 PM and we got back to Brussels just after 8 PM. It was a long day and we both didn't want to get on another train for a long time. Switzerland was amazing. We both agreed that it is our favorite place in Europe, so far (not that we've been too many places). It was awesome hearing the German language, tasting the fondue, pretzels, chocolate, and most of all seeing the Alps.

Pretzels were everywhere in Switzerland, kind of like waffles are in Brussels.

We passed through Bern on the train. This is where my ancestors are from, so I had to prove that I was actually there.

This is one of the many many trains we were on.

Je t'aime Paris

2009-02-02T07:21:00.000-08:00

We spent Saturday and Sunday in Paris. It was awesome and so pretty. We almost froze to death, but had a great time. We saw the Basilica, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral and went to the Louvre. We ate a lot of bread and croissants and saw the Mona Lisa.

This is Brett at the Basilica trying to fold a map we got.

Me at the Basilica. It was amazing inside and out. There was a harp player on the steps. I loved it.

Us at the Arc de Triomphe. It was really cool because all the major roads in Paris lead here. We didn't walk up it, but just took a look around. There is also a memorial for an unknown soldier from WWII buried underneath the Arc. It was really beautiful.

Jumping in front of the Arc.

I was quite proud of this picture. We were just walking up to the Eiffel Tower and it looked really pretty between the trees with the sky and sunshine.

This is me eating a crepe on our way to the Eiffel Tower. We did receive some looks and hostile French comments for this picture.

Us at the Eiffel Tower! It was freezing but really neat.

We stood in line for about a half hour to ride to the top. It was sooooo cold, but we made it and this is the view from the top.

Brett and Mal on top of the Eiffel Tower, Paris 2009!

On Saturday night before we went back to the hotel, we took a walk around Notre Dame. It was absolutely beautiful. The highlight of our trip to Paris.

Sunday morning, we went to Notre Dame Mass. Afterward, we found the Paris LDS ward and went to church there.

From inside Notre Dame. The windows and detail were amazing. It was built in 1160 and it was such a cool experience actually seeing something from that long ago.

After church, we went to the Louvre. We had no idea it was so huge. We did see the Mona Lisa and a lot of other cool artifacts: Rembrandts, Vermeer, Michelangelo. By the end of it we were so tired, and our train didn't leave for hours, so we walked around a bit more and ended up paying a lot of money just for drinks (one 12 oz. Coke and a hot chocolate). It was a great trip and we'll never forget it. We decided that we would definitely love to go back to Paris, especially in the spring or summer :).

MONA LISA MONA LISA

A day in Bruxelles

2009-01-26T05:18:00.000-08:00

We spent all day Saturday walking around Brussels. We hadn't really seen any of the sights since we got here, so it was a lot of fun, and cold! This is us at the Grote Market. It is just a central place full of shops, restaurants and really cool buildings. We bought a little bag of chocolates at a place called Chocopolis. So yummy.

Apparently this is the most famous thing to see in Brussels. It is called "Mannekin Pis" and it is exactly what it looks and sounds like: a statue of a little boy peeing with water coming out to form a fountain. It is so funny and random. The best part was the 75 people that were surrounding it. I don't know how or why it is so famous, but it is and we saw it! There are even mini statues of the little boy that you can buy and take home with you! Awesome.

We bought some waffles from a street van and they were delicious. Hot, buttery and they don't even taste like real waffles. It was everything I hoped for and more. Downtown we saw more waffles with any topping imaginable: ice cream, fruit, whip cream, caramel, chocolate, etc. You can even buy little mini waffles at the grocery store here. They sell them in packages like cookies.

This was a really beautiful church we saw. We went inside and the detail and architecture was amazing.

Brett

Two old men at the Grote Market showing a lot of attention to a single pigeon. It was so funny and I'm so glad we caught it on camera.

Rue du Brochet 7

2009-01-20T04:38:00.000-08:00

We are here!!! It is our 3rd day in Brussels and this is the view from our window in our apartment.

This is our little apartment. We live on the very top floor so it sort of looks like a loft. We have to walk up about 8 flights of narrow stairs to get there. We live in a pretty nice little neighborhood really close by to a grocery store "Lidls" and a lot of other shops I don't know how to say or even spell.

We bought some new pillows and a duvet set at IKEA yesterday.

Our kitchen and bathroom. We have a tiny fridge and an even tinier oven.

Due to lack of a closet, we decided to use the wood planks to hang up our things. We thought it was a nice decorating tool. (It was Brett's idea).

Don't ask me what is on the wall above the couch.

It has been pretty intimidating not knowing French. I'm trying to learn and study our little phrase book we bought. I've never really been somewhere I could not communicate so it is an adventure! Today was Brett's first day of work at the Embassy. It's about a 30 min. walk to get there.

Chocolate

2009-01-06T10:33:00.001-08:00

This is what I'm looking forward to.