The End.

Well I promised my friend Brandi that I wouldn't end the Green Mushy Peas blog on such a somber note. The damn terrorists, always ruining everything!

My summer abroad is over. While I was there, it seemed that the summer would never end. Now that I am home, it seemed like the summer absolutely flew by.

Every day I was in England, I thought about how nice it would be to be home, in the US. Now every day back here, I find myself missing something. Despite my homesick rantings, I did have a good time. It was a great expierience for my family... definitely for my children. My children, after all, are still half british. I think sometimes I need to remember that. I'm the only true "American" in my family. I fear the rest of the crew will always have a special place in their heart for that tiny little island, where the gas is expensive and the meat is boiled. ;)

So what do I miss about England?

The chocolate.
The breeze.
The sea.
The downs.
The countryside.

Taking long walks thru endless fields, where on one side you see nothing but fields and fields of wildflowers... and on the other side you see nothing but the endless blues of the sea.

The stone churches, carved into the little villages... each with their own story.

The 20 minutes of solid silence every morning, spent pegging my washing out in the warm sun, with a hot cup of coffee and a cool breeze.

The atmosphere of the city centre, with it's eclectic taste in jewelry, art, and culture.

I even miss the media, with it's outlandish front page stories and it's crazy headlines.

BUT...

I'm an American at heart.
And I belong here. :D

Are We Really Safe?

As I sat here today watching the news unfold in London about the foiled terrorist attack, I got chills down my spine. Less than a week ago I loaded my entire family on an airplane, destined to the U.S. from it's departure point in London, England. We climbed on board, tired and grumpy. We suffered our eight hours with the help of our ipods, coloring books, snacks, and other goodies... and not one time did I ever doubt that our plane would land safely on the other side of the atlantic.

When I look back at that flight now, I realize that no matter how safe we feel... we are never really safe.

I could have very well been on the plane I was meant to be on... which would be flying out of London in the next few days. It could have very well been one of the targeted flights.

We have been trying to wrap our head around that possibility... that thought. The chance that our plane might have been an unlucky one. The bomber that got away. It's scary to think about.

What will become of this blog?

Tonite is our last night here in England. Our summer is already over. Can you believe it? We've been here for ages -- but while it has seemed at times like it would never be over, now I really can't get my head around the fact that it is!!

It's been a good trip. I look at it like a learning expierence. I'm sure I will blog more about it after the flight home when I have had time to destress, and put some thought into what this trip has meant to our whole family.

Got Disease?

It was the French cheese, or it was the milk that the British keep on the top shelf in the cupboard instead of in the fridge.

Something has made me deathly ill.

I'm on my third day of just being miserable! I'm hoping that this mess has cleared out (literally and figuratively) before I am forced to get on a plane for 8.5 hours. And I just PRAY that none of my children come down with it.

Ugh.

What a way to bookend this trip. In the toilet.

Paris, Day Two - Saturday

Saturday was our one day that we actually had "in" Paris... so we woke up early and headed out to see the sights.

First on our agenda, was, of course, The Louvre. We arrived there just as it was opening. What a magnificent museum! It was fascinating walking the halls, looking at all these ancient pieces of art. Even the building itself was a work of art! Even down to the cielings, some of which were carved with ornate scupltures or painted with unique oils. We got in line to see smiling Mona Lisa of course, and detoured back thru to see the armless Venus DeMilo. I really enjoyed the Louvre! And I'm not even a huge art fan.

Second on our list was Notre Dame. It sits very menancingly on the banks of the river.. it's rear covered in creepy gothic gargoyles. We didn't see the hunchback, but we did tour the cathedral itself.

Then it was off to Monmarte. I got ripped off by an "African" man that interestingly enough spoke fluent French. He made me a friendship bracelet, knotted it onto my wrist, and then proceeded to tell me it costs 10 euros. **rolls eyes** He did tell me "Hakuna Matata" though, so he was DEFINITELY African. **rolls eyes again**

We had a late lunch at this little Italian place at the bottom of the hill on the way to get on the Funiculare, which is a little pulley type car that takes you to the very top of Monmarte, where the Cathedral of Sacra Couer sits. The food was fabulous! We loved Monmarte... it's full of all kinds of artists. At the main square, there are masses of these artists set up, painting in the sunlight. Some of them were portraitists, and you could hire them to paint your portrait for about 50 Euros. The atmosphere of Monmarte was probably my favorite in France. Very laid back, and artsy. I wish we could have afforded some of the art, but boy they were pricey street artists! Some of them were charging upwards of 500 euros!

After montmarte we hit the Eiffel tower. I loved it there as well. We didn't bother going to the top - the lines were massive, and really, I had no interest in seeing Paris from the sky. We did sit on the green next to it though, appreciating the scenery and people watching - which is always fun. We had dinner outside on the sidewalk at a cute little cafe right next to the tower.

After dinner, it was shopping on the Champs de Elysees... which of course, was fantastic! Even though we couldn't afford to buy much Parisian Couture.

We hit the sack after 11.

And that was our day in Paris. :)