lady of light

Today is my mom's birthday. She is 73, but you would never know it. She is fun, full of life and beautiful. If you break her name down-Donna Louise-it means 'lady of light'. I can't think of a more fitting name for her. Here are just a few things I love about my mom:

Her voice. It's melodic.
Her smile.
Her laugh. It's sincere.
She's a lady.
She plays the piano so well-can sight read anything, even the Messiah!
She is sassy and classy.
She is intelligent.
Her testimony is as solid as it gets.
She is devoted to her husband and children.
She gets things done and makes things happen.
She makes everything fun.
She is grounded.
She loves everyone.
She helps her community.
She is constantly reading.
She is creative and multi-talented.
She has great taste.
She gets worked up over politics-I love it!
She's a Sudoku Master.

She just has a beautiful spirit and I am so lucky to have grown up with someone who magnifies goodness and shares it with everyone around.

Thank you for being one of my best friends, Mom.

Happy Birthday and I love you!

roman aqueducts and such

Our next stop in Spain was a little town called Segovia. Kent spent a few months on his mission there and he loved it. Now, I love it. There is a roman aqueduct running through town that used to supply the local castle with water. It's not in use anymore, but I'm glad they built that huge, beautiful support system for a single stream of water. Really. I bet the architect had no idea that people would flock to see his/her aqueduct hundreds of years later. Nice combination of form and function.

Mid-air plumbing. Why not?

I became intrigued with foreign manhole covers.

Just a typical Segovian street with an atypically attractive man.

This is probably my favorite picture of Kent in existence. How can you not love that guy?

It rained for most of our time in Segovia, but it cleared up every now and then to display scenes like this...

and this. All cities should have roman aqueducts.

Next stop was the Cathedral of Segovia. We basically went in because of the rain, but it was worth the 10 euros.



It doesn't get much better than a thunder storm in an old church in Spain.

We couldn't wait out the storm anymore, so we took our drenched selves to the Alcazar of Segovia (aka Segovia Castle). Kent made a new friend there.

I was thinking this could be Christmas card worthy, but the rain gave me some big hair. We'll see.

Here are the sites from down below. Segovia was one of my favorite stops on the trip.

Churros y chocolate. We bought this from a vendor on the street and mmm....

The chocolate was delicious! It was like warm, sweet-but-not-too-sweet chocolate pudding sliding down my throat. Just look at that jug full!

A ruin we found along the way. I made Kent take a dirt road to get there.

This picture was Kent's idea and I love it. It was across from the gas station where we filled up to make it to our next destination: Burgos.

espana

Home to bull fights, Don Quixote, flamenco dancers, tapas and last but never least, Real Madrid. We came and went in four short days, but what a fantastic stay we had. Let me begin in Madrid, the capital of Spain and the place where Kent spent two fun-filled years of his life.

Kent took the metro or walked as a young elder, so we drove around like this for awhile before we found the temple. At least we got to see some real life Madrid neighborhoods and not just tourist areas. Lots of bread shops and joggers. Yes, joggers.

We finally made it to the the Madrid Temple.

Like all temples, it was lovely. I like the straight, simple lines.

I'm not sure when we pulled this out, but it really helped. There was a map of the entire northern region of Spain in the back of the rental car, but we didn't find it until we were about to go to France. Oops.

Disneyland? Not quite.

It's the Plaza Mayor, the center city plaza in Madrid. Apparently, every town has one in Spain.

And like most plazas, there was a statue as well.

I can't remember who that is on the horse. Someone related to Queen Isabella I think.

Oh, and of course there were weird street entertainers, including these random heads.

The streets of Madrid.

This is where all roads in Spain begin. That's what Kent tells me anyway.

We visited "El Prado" where we got in for free by chance and saw some works by Murillo, Velazquez and Goya. The Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch was on exhibit there and it was interesting to see in person. It is one of the few paintings I remember studying in Humanities (probably because it's so bizarre).

We also stopped outside the Museo del Jamon. That was pretty amazing as well. Nothing like hundreds of pig legs hanging from the ceiling.

That night we made it to a Real Madrid game. Kent's dream come true.

We were two rows from the field. Kent went big on those seats.

And HE made sure we stayed in our seats and didn't make it onto the field.

Our treats during the game....

Their treats during the game. Everyone pulled out a jamon y queso sandwich during halftime. Much better for you than our potato chips and gummy candies.

So glad we were able to watch Real Madrid. I've decided soccer is much more fun to watch in person, but I don't know how often we'll be able to make it to Bernabeu Stadium.

One day in Madrid wasn't long enough, but it I guess it gives us an excuse to go back.

the London Layover

Before making it to Spain, we had a brief, 7 hour layover in London Town. Making the most of our stay, we took the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station, then the metro (or the 'tube' according to the locals) to Piccadilly Square where when we arrived, found ourselves on the streets of London, not too far from Buckingham Palace. It was quite an adventure. Although we didn't really know where we were going or what we were doing, we ended up seeing some standard London sights and even returned to the airport with lots of time to spare. Nothing like looking through the same bookstores over and over again trying to find a good book, but only managing to go through all of the gossip magazines and maybe purchasing a Cadbury chocolate bar or two.

The Palace

There seemed to be several of these monuments positioned around town with people just milling about. When in Rome...or elsewhere. If you look hard enough, you'll see Kent.

I loved these street crossing signals, especially the green walker. He looks so happy to be walking across the street.

Time well spent in England.

Next phase: Spain.

a crepe a day, keeps the doctor away

We're back and I have a new love for Spain and France. It was definitely a whirlwind trip, but it was so worth it. Kent and I are still dealing with jet lag (we were both out of bed by 5:30 am today), but it is kind of nice waking up early with energy like it is 10:00 am. I'm still going through the photos so I'm not going to post much today. Just wanted to do a quick blog update before I post a slew of pictures. I'm glad we're back, but I do miss the sights, people and the food. There is nothing quite like a French crepe with nutella and bananas. Mmm...

those blooming trees

It's Jacaranda time in Long Beach and I love it. The sidewalks are dotted with these purple beauties and the streets are strewn with their blooms. I remember I flew out of the Long Beach Airport one year for Women's Conference and was amazed at how many lavender lovelies there were down below. Now I get to see them up close and personal. We actually had a few Jacaranda trees in my backyard while I was growing up (wonderful choice, Mom), but I mainly remember the pods. They are flat, hard and round. So interesting. I loved the flowers too, but I appreciate them even more as an adult. I think I'll have to plant a Jacaranda someday. They make me happy.

(Jacaranda in the summertime all decked out for the wedding last summer. They're nice trees any time of year.)

we're outta here

In two weeks. Not that we're leaving for good, but our spring fling is official. Kent will witness a game at Bernabéu stadium and I will get to stand in my field of lavender. The flowers might not be in bloom yet, but that's okay, I'm sure it will still be lovely. I tried to make it to France a couple of years ago, but there were some last minute complications, so I'm trying again, this time with a husband who can't back out.

It took awhile for us to purchase the tickets. We're both a little indecisive (ex. it took us about 45 minutes to decide which shower head to buy at Bed, Bath & Beyond), but the investment will be worth it. I've never gone on a trip abroad that I regret taking. Maybe I've done some so/so road trips, but those international journeys are wonderful. They are mind-opening. I know it's supposed to be eye-opening, but I like mind-opening. Different cultures, people and food. Always a good experience.

Anyway, time to brush up on the Spanish and learn a bit of French. Bonjour....Au Revoir....Oui....Parlez-vous francais? I think that's all I know. I need a two week crash course.