SOCCER----THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS

Hailey played soccer again this fall, and she absolutely loved it! It was so fun to watch her enthusiasm, and energy. At a young age, she seemed to have a real understanding of the game. Her favorite position was defense, which she played quite well. She also played forward, and center. Her least favorite position to play was goalie, which she played only once, and she hopes never to play again (she didn't like the pressure of defending the goal)! Hailey loved every minute, and she can't wait until next season!

I can't describe my surprise, my unbelief, and then my joy as I read my birthday post dedicated to me by my dear, sweet eternal companion. There are no words to articulate my feelings of gratitude, love, and devotion. There is never a day that goes by that I am not grateful for this man being in my life, and for the beautiful relationship we share... It reminds me of a song that Bryan dedicated to me (which he does on occasion). The song is titled "The Best Thing". The chorus of the song states, "This is the best thing. The best thing that could be happening, and I think you would agree...the best things is that it is happening to you and me...". I absolutely love this song! It describes my feelings for my eternal companion, and my best friend...on so many levels.... Perhaps to illustrate my feelings even more, I would like to share an experience I had yesterday with my little girl. Yesterday, my eldest daughter prepared to give a heart necklace to a friend, which symbolized BFF (best friends forever). It took me back 20 years to when I was little, and I was exchanging necklaces, bracelets, and other knickknacks to symbolize "important friendships". It brought back sweet memories as I watched my daughter with this necklace...but it also brought great gratitude... Gratitude, because unlike years past where I would give and receive BFF necklaces only to become BFF's with another a few months later...I now have a BFF, which is truly FOREVER. And with these somewhat rambled thoughts, I now dedicate to my BFF the song that he once dedicated to me..."This is the Best Thing" right back at 'cha babe!

Happy Birthday Carrie!!!

Bryan here again. After my first blog post a couple weeks ago, I swore it would be the last. I had enough misery in the middle of the night trying to make the pictures, font and alignment right to last for a life time. But here I am again. It is a testament to how much I love my wife. Not only am I posting on this highly feminine blog that usually deals with pictures of little girl swim meets and church experiences, but I am once again doing it in the middle of the night. I guess this is the price of being married to a fabulous, beautiful, woman who dwarfs me in every way but size and uncleanliness.

So in honor of the 31 years (11 of them wasted on me) this amazing woman has been bettering this world with her presence, I give you three reasons why Carrie is so awesome, plus one bonus reason (get it 3+1, 31. I know I am lame, but look, asking me to blog this stuff in the first place is stretch so you just have to take what you get.)

1: Carrie is a spiritual giant. While she doesn’t always know the scripture reference she is looking for, she is the best at living them. Her faith is simple but powerful. She relentlessly wants to serve. She takes spiritual growth seriously. I said she may not know the reference, but that may change since she wakes up every morning at 6:30 to study the scriptures. She is constantly trying to improve herself. It must be maddening for her to live with someone like me who is (let’s put it nicely) pretty content with things as they are. The good news is she is pretty patient about dragging me along with her.

2: Carrie is beautiful. Seriously, did you see the picture I put in this post? I just took that with my cell phone on an average day. No hours of prep or fancy makeover, she is just gorgeous. Now scroll down and find a picture of me. That is right. This bombshell married me, and I am not even rich! It is hard for me to believe too. The odds of me landing a girl like her have got to be astronomical. It is kind of like hitting a Grand Slam on your first at bat. Perhaps she needs glasses, or maybe she is just a sucker for nerdy CPAs, but I know I am honored to have such a beautiful wife. It gives my kids at least half a chance to not end up looking like their dad. Yes that hottie is 31.

3. Carrie is giving. I like to tease her that she always gets her way, but Carrie just doesn’t do things for herself very often. She puts up with long days shuttling kids to and from school, and other activities. The house is always neat. Dinner is made, not just for us, but also for someone that is sick. She attends countless volleyball games/softball games/music concerts for her young women. She never has time for herself, but she never complains. In fact, she is typically trying to figure out how she can do more for others. She spends quality time with the kids and volunteers in their schools. She also has to spend the occasional night as a single parent when her husband works late. I think the best example how much she gives is her “Carrie Budget.” Carrie has a rather small amount of money she gets every month that is totally for her. She can blow it anyway she sees fit; no questions asked (or husband complaints to deal with). This is her money for new shoes, fancy haircuts, and pedicures (or whatever else girls waste their money on). The funny thing is the Carrie Budget is never spent on that stuff or even on her! Typically, the kids get a new pair of jeans. Her young women get taken out for their birthdays. I get a new work shirt. She just can’t help herself. She just does not seem to have the ability to think of herself before others. I love her for her giving spirit, but I think occasionally she needs to buy herself a new purse or something girly like that. She seriously wanted to take the kids to swimming lessons and not go on a date for her birthday. She was worried about the budget and did not want make the kids miss their favorite activity. Take some time for yourself on your Birthday you Weasel.

Bonus 1: Carrie is a sweet, innocent, loving angel. This was what she told me as we were walking to her apartment one day when we first started dating. She then proceeded to throw a fistful of grass at me. That experience made me question the innocent part, but I have come to know over the last eleven years that she was right. Carrie is a sweet, innocent, loving angel. So much so that some people can’t seem to grasp that she is for real. Sometimes I can’t believe that someone as totally awesome as her would want to spend time with me. Being married to her seems like a dream come true to me (though perhaps her nightmare). Thanks for being my best friend. Or perhaps I should say my sweet, innocent, loving angel.

Well that is it. Happy birthday Carrie!

DAY 7...ROME in a DAY
Setting foot in Italy sent chills of excitement through me! How exciting to be in Italy! How fun to be in the country shaped like a boot... Ever since eighth grade geography, I have wanted to visit Italy...the country shaped like a boot! It was it's shape that drew my interest in eighth grade, but as an adult, there was definitely more to the country than its mere shape.
Jill and I left the airport with a game plan. First on our list was St. Peter's Cathedral. The taxi ride to the Cathedral was an adventure in and of itself. Our driver maneuvered in and out of traffic, up on sidewalks, towards oncoming traffic, and all at break neck speeds. He definitely made good time to the Cathedral, and I almost lost my breakfast in the process! When my feet touched the sidewalk outside of the Cathedral, I literally sighed with relief--I was safe, and my prospects of living were much better! And so...our tour of ROME IN A DAY began...

The Vatican at St. Peter's Square

I stood in the center of the Vatican, and tried to take it all in...it was huge, majestic, awe inspiring, and beautiful!

St. Peter's Cathedral
St. Peter's Cathedral is the largest church in the world! It took practice to capture the Cathedral with us in a picture!

After visiting St. Peter's Cathedral, we took a tour bus to the Colosseum

THE COLOSSEUM

Imagine a huge, immense, round structure with tiny people that in comparison are mere ants to the structure's enormity. Now imagine being an ant, and looking up at the enormity of the structure with nothing else on your mind, but the word HUGE. Now imagine another ant startling you by walking towards you to take a picture (an ant you hadn't noticed next to this immense structure). And now...you have imagined the Colosseum--MY FAVORITE SITE IN ROME!!!
We went with a personal guided tour through the Colosseum. Our tour guide took us back in time as he explained the history of the Colosseum. His explanations left me with feelings of sadness, unbelief, and amazement.
Sadness, because so many people and animals lost their lives within the walls of the Colosseum. It was a place of battle for both gladiators and animals. Some gladiators fought for honor, but most fought for freedom (most of the gladiators were slaves). Over 500,000 people died for sport...for games. Every game was to the death... Just as many animals lost their lives as did gladiators. Animals of every kind--deer, lion, elephant, bear, and many more.
UNBELIEF, because it was all for sport...
AMAZEMENT, because of the sheer HUGENESS of the Colosseum, which was built thousands of years ago (80 AD).
FACTS I LEARNED ABOUT THE COLOSSEUM:
-The Colosseum was a gaming arena.
-The games would often last all day long. The Colosseum sat 50-60,000 people.
-In 1349 there was a great earthquake that damaged the south side.
-In 2007 it was named one of the 7 wonders of the world.
-It was an amazing site!

~Outside of Colosseum~

~Animal Barracks~

~Animal Barracks~

~Animal Barracks~

PALATINE HILL & ROMAN FORUM

Our private tour of the Colosseum also took us to Palatine Hill and the Roman Forums. We learned about Kings of the Past. Stories about kings and queens killing for power--brothers, uncles, and aunts fighting against each other for the purpose of gain. Through our guide's eyes we learned of their prestige, of their attitude towards life and others. We viewed life through their perspective. One story he told us was about how kings felt themselves to be exalted above others. He said they would eat with their hands, and then hold their hands out behind them, without a backward glance, to have a servant clean the grime from their hands. The servant would then wash and dry the king's hand. There would be no kind of acknowledgement of the servant by the king. Another story was about a king's death at the hand of his queen...all because the queen was tired of hearing about the king's complaints. Each tale was spun a similar theme...power, prestige, and money.
These tales reminded me of the story of the Jaradites in The Book of Mormon. In The Book of Mormon fathers, sons, daughters, mothers, brothers, uncles, and aunts fought against one another. They killed for gain. They thought only of themselves, and they were utterly destroyed! Satan tricks people into believing that happiness is found through selfishness, and in reality happiness is found through service, and love, and genuine kindness. It is sad to me that history repeats itself in such a dramatic way.

~Roman Forums~

~Roman Forums~

~Roman Forums~

~Arch at the base of Palantine Hill~

After Palantine Hill and the Roman Forums, we started hiking towards what we thought was the Trevi Fountain...well, we missed the fountains, and we were fortunate to see...

Santa Maria Maggiaore

It was one of the four major basilicas in Rome. The other three basilicas were: St. John Lateran, St. Peter's (which we had already visited), and St. Paul's. It was the only basilica that retained its core structure after the earthquake in 1348. It was a neat building, but extremely far from our original destination (the Trevi Fountain).... So, we took a taxi to the Trevi Fountain.

TREVI FOUNTAIN

...we had lunch right on the square at the Trevi Fountain

Italian Pizza
AWESOME!!!!

Italian Gelato

PANTHEON

The Pantheon was built as a temple to the Ancient Gods or Ancient Rome. This is the world's largest unenforced dome built in 31 BC. It was unbelievable!

~Fountain Outside the Pantheon~

~Fountain Outside the Pantheon~

Piazza Navona
Our final stop was at the Piazza Navona. There were four God's on the fountain, which represented four rivers. It was built in 1651.
This area was so fun!! There was street art everywhere! Jill and I found some art that we loved!!! We tried negotiating a cheaper price for the paintings, but to no avail. When the artist would not negotiate, we finally walked away with full intentions of doing just that...walking away. However, we both left feeling as if we had made a mistake... We loved the art so much that we returned to purchase the paintings. When we returned, he already had the pictures ready to be purchased. He said he knew we would be back! Obviously, Jill and I were a bit clueless as to how to negotiate prices!

~The Smart Car~
I had to get a picture of this car...it was everywhere in Europe!

DAY 6-Sabbath Day
We attended church early in the morning.While at church, I experienced the best part of being in a foreign land--the experience was truly eye opening. Everything was in French (of course), so I couldn't understand without a translator. In sacrament meeting, three talks were given. All of which were centered on the power of prayer. Each talk touched me! I felt the spirit so strong. One talk really touched my spirit.

The Sister giving the talk shared a story about the simplicity of prayer, and the power of God's answers. She told of an experience where her little boy's bike had been stolen, and how her little boy had no doubt that if he prayed, God would help him. The mother giving the talk explained how she tried to prepare her son for an understanding of how God answers prayers. That night she had a dream in which she was chasing a boy with her son's bike. The following day--her dream was realized. A few weeks later this same little boy received a new bike as a gift from his father. Not too long after receiving this new bike--it was stolen. Again, this little boy had the faith in God to have his prayers answered. Again, this mother tried to explain how prayers are not always answered in the way we would like them to be answered. Again, she was a tool to her Heavenly Father in answering her son's prayer and retrieving the second lost bike. Heavenly Father had blessed this little boy by answering his prayers. This little boy had the faith in God to be answered. It caused me to evaluate how meaningful my prayers are...do I pray with all sincerity of heart? Do I pray with complete trust and faith?

My eyes and heart were opened as I listened to talks given in French, but understanding in English via translation. The simple truths of the Gospel were preached from a foreign land. My spirit was touched as I listened to these Gospel truths in another tongue, and although I have always known that the Gospel is a part of a world wide church, seeing it with my eyes, and feeling it with my heart touched the inner core of my soul. I felt the spirit testify of these truths. My eyes were opened to my brothers and sisters in foreign lands, and although I couldn't understand them without help, I loved them!

WALKING THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES

We walked the gardens of the Palace of Versailles Sunday afternoon after church. It was absolutely amazing! It provided for a nice Sunday afternoon walk. (We toured the palace on the day we toured Paris...we just saved the gardens for a Sunday walk.)

SUNDAY DRIVE=ARC De TRIUMPH

The Arc DE Triumph is a monument in France to honor those who fought in the Napoleonic Wars (info. found on Wikipedia).
Mike and I convinced Jill to jump out of the car on the Champs De Elysee's (famous shopping street in Paris), run into the middle of the street, and take a picture (in my defense, I thought there was some sort of middle lane). Jill was not excited....let's just say it got a bit scary when both lights were green, and we were in the middle of the road...traffic coming both ways!!! (The French do not seem to have much caution while driving either.)

LONDON
Day 4 & 5
On Friday morning Jill and I woke up at an abnormal hour, so that we could catch our train to London from Paris. We traveled on a high speed train called the Eurostar. As we boarded the train, both Jill and I were excited to watch the train enter the English Channel. We were both exhausted from so little sleep, and yet we stayed awake anticipating the trains entry of the English Channel. It wasn't until we had passed through the English Channel that we had realized that the event had come and gone. It was almost comical that the event was so non eventful. The trip on the Eurostar was smooth and quick. The Eurostar can go 200 mph, so we arrived in London after only 2 1/2 hours of traveling. As we were leaving the train, Jill made a profound statement by saying, "what we need to do now, is find where we are"...and so, our adventures in London began...

Here is a picture of me standing in front of a few trains (like the Eurostar). Most of the time we traveled by train in both London, and in Paris.

Kensington Palace & Gardens
We started our tour of London by taking a bus tour, which stopped at several key sights in London. Our first stop was Kensington Palace. Kensington Palace has been a royal residence for over 300 years. The palace was home to Diana, Princess of Wales.
This picture shows the backside of Kensington Palace. It never occurred to us to walk around the palace, because the view from the back was so breathtaking. The gardens and surrounding areas were simply amazing! It wasn't until we had left the palace that we realized we had missed seeing the front of the palace entirely. Too funny!

While we were viewing the Kensington Gardens, it started raining. As a joke I used my London map for an umbrella.

...and then shared with Jill. Who knew map's had more than one use?

HYDE PARK
Hyde Park was huge! It took us quite a while to walk through all of Hyde Park along with the Kensington Gardens, but every step was worth it. It was so peaceful and beautiful! It was one of my favorite sights in London.

This is a picture of Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park.
It is an area where public speaking is allowed. President Hinckley served a mission in Great Britain, and spoke at Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park.

After we toured Hyde Park, we continued our full bus tour around London. We had a live tour guide, which made it much more entertaining...however, no matter how entertaining it was...I couldn't keep my eyes open. Every once in a while during the tour, I would wake up suddenly, and to my horror, the tour guide was always staring at me. After a few times of this, his persistent stare kept me awake (even though I was extremely tired). Soon it became a form of entertainment to see whether or not he was still staring. He stared at me the entire tour. I wondered if it was because I offended him by falling asleep, so as I was leaving, I apologized for having jet lag, and sleeping in part of his tour. I also thanked him for an informative tour...

This habit of falling asleep seemed to happen every time we got on any form of public transportation! We were on many different modes of transportation in a few short days (trains, planes, bus's, taxi's and cars). It seemed that I was able to fall asleep in any position, and on any form of transportation. As soon as we arrived at our destination, I was ready and going, but while we were sitting...I was quite often sleeping.

Our last stop on our city bus tour was at the Apollo Victoria Theater where we had tickets to...

WICKED
A highlight of London was going to see the play Wicked! I am still singing the songs, and I am planning to see it whenever it comes nearer to home!

BUCKINGHAM PALACE
The residence of the British Monarchy.
We were only able to see the outside of Buckingham Palace. (Tours of Buckingham Palace are only in July and August.) Even the outside was impressive, and well worth the stop. We also missed the changing of the guard, because they only do the changing of the guard every other day in the Winter and we were on the off day.

On our way to Westminster Abbey, we took a moment to enjoy the beauty of a London street during Fall.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

Westminster Abbey is located next to the Houses of Parliament. Some of the oldest parts date back to the year 1050. The Abbey has the most glorious medieval architecture found in London. Most of the Royal marriages are held at the Abbey. It truly was a beautiful building.

BIG BEN & House of Parliament

~House of Parliament on left, Big Ben Tower on right~

The famous Big Ben clock tower is 320 feet high. It is the largest four faced chiming clock in the world. The clock tower is named after the largest bell, weighing over 13 tons. Each clock face is over 23 feet wide. The famous bell was named after a man named Sir Benjamin Hall (a politician at the time) who was 4' 10'' tall, and shaped like a bell.

The House of Parliament is building adjacent to the clock tower. The House of Parliament seats two houses of Parliament: the House of Lords, and The House of Commons.

LONDON'S EYE

The London Eye was amazing! It is a Ferris Wheel on the River Thames opened in 2000. It is 443 feet high. Each capsule holds about 25 people, and each revolution takes 30 minutes. The eye can fit 800 people.
We started our experience by watching a 4D movie with special glasses. We then entered a capsule, and enjoyed an amazing view of London!

~View of London from the London Eye~

~View of London from the London Eye~

~View of London from the London Eye~
Along with showing the sights from the London Eye, this picture is also a perfect shot of the river cruises, which are on the Thames River. After enjoying the sights on the London Eye, we enjoyed a Thames river cruise. Included in the cruise was a live tour guide who described the sights of London with a touch of humor. The cruise took us to the London Tower, and the Tower Bridge. Both in Paris and in London, the river cruises were well worth it!

TOWER OF LONDON

~Armory in the Tower on Display~

~Guards were stationed throughout the grounds. They marched back and forth on occasion, and then entered their cubicles giving off the aire of importance.~

The Tower of London was built by William the Conqueror to protect and control the city of London. At one time the Tower of London was Her Majesty's Royal Palace. The tower has been used as a fortress, a palace, and a prison. It is now the home of the crown jewels.

We toured many of the towers within the Tower of London. We toured the towers where two princes were murdered, where prisoners were held, and where the crown jewels are now kept. There were many winding staircases and tight places within the Tower of London. At times I felt a bit claustrophobic with the narrow walls and narrow winding staircases. The Tower of London depicts the history of London from battles won, to battles lost. From kings ruling nobly to kings murdering for the throne. The Tower of London is rich with London's history!

Tower Bridge & London Bridge
~Tower Bridge~
The Tower Bridge was built out of necessity due to an increase in commercialism. A traditional bridge could not be built because it would have blocked access to the London Bridge. Therefore, this bridge was designed where two towers were built on piers. The central span was then split into two equal bascules, which could then be raised to allow traffic to pass. While we were on the river cruise, our guide said that people have been known to request the lifting of the bridge, which is perfectly acceptable. In fact, one man requested the lifting, and went under the Tower Bridge with a small boat (simply for fun).

~London Bridge~
This bridge in the distance is the source of the famous song, "London Bridges Falling Down".

St. Paul's Cathedral

~St. Paul's Cathedral~

St. Paul's Cathedral has the second largest dome in the world after St. Peter's Cathedral. ~

Everything in London seems so official. While we were visiting, a new leader had just been elected. There was a huge celebration! Major streets were closed to make room for a parade. We saw processions like this one on a couple of occasions. It was all extremely official and quaint!