Puppies!!!

I'll start by saying that no, we don't have any job information or decisions yet. We are still considering options in Boise, ID, Boulder, CO, and Salt Lake City, UT. Hopefully we will have a destination soon because Bar deadlines are approaching. We only have nine weeks left here before graduation and I am starting to, as Nate says, get trunky. I want to start packing now but we still need our stuff, and I have pretty much checked out at work and in our ward.



In other news we are getting a puppy!! We have wanted one for years, pretty much since we got married, but we have always lived in apartments that don't allow pets. This year I have been working in an animal hospital and Nate and I have been helping with the puppy kindergarten class there. It is pretty funny to see Nate crawling around the floor with five or six puppies and we love it. Almost daily I have people come in with their new puppies and get so jealous. So finally, and after MUCH research, we have picked a breed and a breeder and we have first pick of this year's litters. We probably won't get to bring it home till the end of this year but that works well since we don't know where we will be living yet. The breed is schnoodle, which is pretty cute in itself. It is a mix of a miniture schnauzer and a miniture poodle and it is unbelievably cute. They look a lot like McGruff, the dog I grew up with, just a little smaller. It will be a little pal for me to hang out with while Nate works long hours. If you want to check them out go to uptownpets.us. I haven't decided if I want all black or if I want the black and brown (phantom).

These are puppies of the kind Nate wants. They are Irish Wolfhound puppies. They will grow to be over 6'6" tall on their hind legs and over 120 pounds but they will stay this sweet. We will probably need to wait a while before we get one.

Sad Stories

I know I'm a bad blogger and it's a little sad that this is what I am blogging about but here goes. I am surprisingly sad about Heath Ledger's death. I didn't realize I was so attached. I suppose it makes sense; he was my first real movie crush in Ten Things I Hate About You and A Knights Tale. I just didn't think I was that affected by pop culture but I am really sad. I am also sadder than I thought about the recent death of Brad Renfro who was in Tom and Huck. It's things like this that make you wonder why talented and blessed people destroy their lives. It is even more sad when you realize that these people often have children that they are leaving behind. I know this is a sad thought but it should just remind you to hug your kids and do what's right. Until I blog again (could be weeks, could be months)...

Christmas time!

Merry Christmas everyone! I didn't quite have it together for all my Christmas cards this year but I did try to send some to the grandparents at least. For the rest of you, we are thinking of you and we do love you. As you bloggers already know Nate and I have had a crazy and wonderful year. We have done more traveling than most people get to do in a lifetime and have moved three times (not our record, by the way). Nate is finishing up his second to last semester of law school and I have a job at an animal hospital. My job has been great but hard for both of us because we want a puppy so bad. I see the cutest little puppies every day at work and I see people who don't take care of them very well and I think I would be so much better at it. We have big plans to add to our family next year (puppies, not babies. Sorry Moms). I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! We love you!

Here we go again

I have been remiss. I have discovered since coming home that I am only a blogger borne of boredom. When life gets busy the blog takes the hit. Nate and I have up and moved again. Deep down (or maybe just right on the surface) I wish we could have gone back to London, but South Bend seems intent on charming us. The first week we have been here we have not seen the sun and we have experienced gale force winds and rain on a regular basis. There is a constant drizzle and no matter how many times I run my chi iron down my hair it is desperate to show just how curly it can be. This may not sound charming to some but to us it has the homey feel of Hammersmith. I feel as I drive Nate to and from campus each day through the haze that I am back in foggy London town. Yesterday as we were returning home, however, we saw the price payed by the decreased visibility on the roads. As we pulled through the pretty tree lined drive to our apartment, in the middle of the road lay one of our beloved geese, dead. These geese cross the road many times a day and even the morning rush waits for them to pass but some incredibly impatient person decided they couldn't wait. I think the stress of moving and unpacking and job hunting all came home at that moment and I just started to cry. Nate, while not a heartless person (he truly was sad for our goose), seemed conflicted as to whether the scene was funny or not. He consoled me but I still feel sad when we drive by the flock.

I have new pictures to post from yet another adventure (this one to Pheonix). I will get right on that.

Busy

I don't know how people have normal lives and still have time to blog. Since we have been home it has been just about the last thing on my mind so I am trying to catch up. The summer has gone so fast and we are now about three weeks away from moving to Indiana for our final year. Nate has loved his job and is trying to decide where we wants to work permanantly. Meanwhile I am causing as many problems for him as I can by having surgery last Thursday to fix my septum and clear out my nose so I can breathe. I have been completely useless since and Nate is, as ever, a really good sport about it. It has also been really nice to have both our families around to help and mostly my mom who picks up all my slack. We will be leaving in a week to go on what was supposed to be a white water rafting trip to Vail,CO and what is now a relaxing weekend in the mountains (my doctor laughed at me when I asked if I could still raft). We will have to make up the trip and do Moab real soon. I will post pictures when we have them!

Carpinteria

Nate and I had only been home for about a week when I was off again. I went with my mom and my sisters to Carpinteria Beach in California. My dad and brother, Nick, came for a few days as well. I had to leave Nate this time and that made me sad. It was the first time we had been in different time zones. Besides missing Nate it was a wonderful week. There is a campground right on the beach and we just set up some tents and sat on the beach all week long. It was good to spend time with my family as I had not seen them for about six months until we got home.

We had really good weather all week and I got some good shots of the beautiful sunset.

Shelby and my Dad and I built a sand igloo. It fell down when they tried to hollow it out. Whoops.

Cute Girls!

Here we are! Plus a neighbor kid that hung out with us.

The day after I got back Nate and I went down to Blanding for my family reunion. I will post some pictures of that later!

COME ON DOWN!!!!!

So Bob Barker has left the Price is Right after over 50 years and over 6,000 shows, and it is the end of an era. I am very sad to see it go. One of my earliest memories is being so excited that I had afternoon kindergarten so that I could stay home in the morning and watch the Price is Right with my mom. I had a childhood dream to get on the show and wear a cute sweatshirt from whatever college I came from and win a car and kiss Bob on the cheek. I suppose I could still go to the show but it just wouldn't be the same. Goodbye, weekdays at 11.

By the way, we are home safe and sound and it feels like we never left. I am working on some cool slide shows but it may be beyond my blogging prowess to post them on here. We shall see.

To whom it may concern...

By the time you read this we will be on our way home!

Hooray!

That is a little misleading because it is a bitter sweet feeling, leaving here. This has been a place filled with much happiness, fun, and love. We leave our cute little flat behind with heavy hearts that are only lifted by the prospect of being back in our mountain home.

We love you all and we'll see you soon.

1 day

The number one thing we are most excited to see when we get home...

We'll see you all in the next day or so.

We love you!

2 days

2 days! Can you believe it? We can't. I still have final so it isn't quite real for me yet but Alayna had lunch to say good-bye to all of her friends from the ward today and is sad to leave, but happy to come home!

top 2 favorite british people:

2: David Bowie (Alayna)
1: Shakespeare (Nate)

Coming tommorrow: no. 1

3 Days

We went to church today for the last time as members of the Hyde Park Ward. It was Stake Conference and we had a broadcast from Salt Lake where Pres. Hinckley spoke to the entire British isles. I was a little bummed that we didn't get to see many people from our ward on our last Sunday but we said most of our goodbyes last week and they had me sing in church so that was a nice sendoff. This really has been a cool ward and I am sad to leave it, especially the primary where I have served as the official substitute teacher and Faith in God Activity leader. Today I said goodbye to several of the tiny little sunbeams and they were so adorable with their British accents and their sweet hugs and stickers and pictures that they give you. Tomorrow I am going to lunch with a few gals from the ward. This is one of the first wards we have been in where I have made more than one friend that I will keep in touch with. I am bad at that sort of thing.

One of my favorite parts about living in London is the amazing shows we have been able to see. In homage to the fabulous West End Theatre District...

Top Three West End shows:

3. Mary Poppins
2. Les Miserables
1. Wicked

This is obviously my list as Nate would probably put Les Miserables first what with all the revolutionaries and dramatic songs and all.

Tomorrow: Top two favorite British people of all time. Be thinking of yours!!

4 Days

There are only four days remaining until will leave London forever, or just until we leave for now. Anyways. I have three days left before my final and man is Anti-Trust complex. If any of you have any tips on concerted refusals to deal, let me know.

top 4 london parks:

4: Brook Green (The little park by our flat)
3: St. James's Park (By Buckingham palace)
2: Hyde Park (You know)
1: Kesington Park (it's right by the church stuck onto the end of Hyde Park)


Tommorrow: top 3 west end shows.

5 Days

Hi everyone. I haven't posted in a while because Nate was on a roll and why mess up a good thing right? Well he has to study sometime so I'm back. Today we went on a marathon coach tour of Oxford, Stratford, and Warwick castle. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun. I will try to post a few pictures of that before we come home but we shall see if time permits.

Top 5 Pieces of Art we have seen this year

5. The Kiss, Gustav Klimt (The Belvedere, Vienna, Austria)
4. Parliment, Claude Monet (The National Gallery, London, England)
3. Sunflowers, Vincent van Gogh (The National Gallery, London, England)
2. The Birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli (The Ufizzi Gallery, Florence, Italy)
1. The David, Michelangelo (Academia, Florence, Italy)

Look at how cultured we are. You won't even recognize us.

Tomorrow: Top 4 London Parks

6 days

Day 6 and we are getting very excited. I spent the morning packing and not studying for my final like I should. Oh well.

Top 6 things we like about London:

6: Window Shopping
5: Free Museums
4: Westminster (Westminster Abbey, Parliment, Big Ben, Thames)
3: Trafalgar Square
2: West End Theatre
1: Tower Bridge

Tommorrow:
Top 5 Pieces of Art

7 days

Man the numbers are lying of the calendar!

No further ado:

Top 7 Restaurants in Europe:

7: Hotel Stein Rooftop Cafe (Salzburg, Austria)
6: That Joint in Florence (Florence, Italy)
5: Rice (London, UK)
4: Griechenbeisel (Vienna, Austria)
3: That place in Rome (Rome, Italy)
2: Pizza Express (London, UK)
1: Dristor Kebab (Bucuresti, Romania)

I'm running out of things to say... Don't you hate pants! (Those who understand will laugh, those who don't won't.)

Coming tommorow Top 6 things about London.

8 Days

We have 8 days a week until we come home. (That was a Beatles reference for all of you out there keeping track.) I have one class tomorrow and then an Exam and I am done!

top 8 tourist sights in Europe

8: Trevi Fountain (Rome, Italy)
7: Lake District (Salzburg, Austria)
6: Casa Poporului (Bucuresti, Romania)
5: Ponte Vechio (Florence, Italy)
4: Tower Bridge (London, UK)
3: Westminster Abbey (London, UK)
2: Colosseum (Rome, Italy)
1: Acropolis (Athens, Greece)

Tomorrow top 7 Restaurants in Europe.

9 days

That's right single digits! In honor of single digits we are making a top 9 list of places we want to go that we haven't been. Note to those of you who will call us on the fact that Alayna has been to Paris and I have been to Hawaii we mean places we want to go that we haven't been together.

9: China
8: Goa, India
7: Yellowstone
6: Australia
5: Israel
4: Hawaii
3: Scotland
2: Malaga, Spain
1: Paris, France (the one in Idaho is too boring.)

I finished my last paper today so now I have one exam and I am officially done with my second year of law school. One to go. Alayna says to write something about London so, here's a shocker, its raining!

Back tommorrow with our top 8 tourist sites around europe.

10 days

In homage to our ten remaining days we are planning a series of countdowns, i.e. 10 things today, 9 things tommorrow, etc.
Today the countdown is the top ten places we've visited during the course of our marriage.

Alayna's top 10 ------------ ---Nate's top 10

10: New York, NY USA ------- 10: New York, NY USA
9: Rome, Italy ----------------- 9: Pheonix AZ, USA
8: Barcelona, Spain ----------- 8: Athens, Greece
7: Sibiu, Romania ------------- 7: Vienna, Austria
6: Vienna, Austria ------------- 6: Pismo Beach, CA USA
5: Athens, Greece -------------- 5: Brasov, Romania
4: Pismo Beach, CA USA ----- 4: Florence, Italy
3: Salzburg, Austria ----------- 3: Sibiu, Romania
2: Florence, Italy -------------- 2: Salzburg, Austria
1: London, UK ------------------1: London, UK

Coming Tommorrow: top 9 places we hope to visit soon.

11 days

There are only 11 days to will come home!

Aren't we cute!

Salzburg

Nate and I ended our big trip in Salzburg. I had always wanted to do the Sound of Music tour ever since my parents went to Salzburg when I was little. I also had a friend go there earlier in the year and she recommended it as the best place to go for a relaxing weekend and I agree, although Florence is right up there as well.

The highlight is, of course, the Sound of Music tour. They take you on this huge bus with a funny tour guide who knows WAY too much about this musical. This is a picture of the lake district. It was one of the prettiest sights we have seen on our trip. Nate and I are both sort of reliant on the mountains in Utah for directions so it was really comforting to be back in the mountain air. This is the tunnel in Mirabel Gardens where Maria skips and sings with the Von Trapp kids. After a three week trip this was as close to skipping as I could get but I was belting it out, I can assure you. This is a view of the famous Mirabel Gardens and the Palace in the background. Behind me is the fountain where the kids skip and sing (they do that a lot in this movie). The Fortress of Salzburg can be seen behind us in this picture of the statues in Mirabel Gardens.On our last night Nate and I managed to sneak into a very posh rooftop bar even though we looked terminally scruffy. We snagged a prime table and then sat there all night drinking hot chocolate and eating these really good tomato, basil, and mozzarella sandwiches (the only thing on the menu we could afford). It had a fantastic view of the city. It was a great way to end the trip.

16 days until we get home!!!!!! Happy Birthday to my dear little sister Shelby. I love you!!!!!