Alaksa

This is a video of the Humpback Whale we saw while on a boat trip in the Prince William Sound. Will write more about the trip soon...

Cantebury

For our last road trip in April we took Gabi for a car ride down to Canterbury. Gabrielle LOVES going for a car ride and travels very well. The car ride was about 2 hours and Gabi used that time wisely to rest up before we got there.

Gabi chillin' in the back seat

After we arrived in Canterbury (about 1pm), it was such a beautiful day we grabbed some take out, found a park, had a nice picnic and played ball with Gabi.

Gabi in action!

After we ate we walked through the town which was an interesting mix of old and new. We could also tell tourist season was upon us because you could barely move! Of course it may have just been all of the English people out and about enjoying one of the few sunny days we get in London.

Canterbury

This is the view on the way to the cathedral. When we got to the cathedral we couldn't go in, 1. because we had Gabi and 2. because it was Sunday and they were conducting Mass. But the grounds were really lovely.

Me, Sammy and Gabi in the cathedral grounds

On the way to Canterbury we saw a sign for Ramsgate and I had read a book or saw a movie, I couldn't remember which, that talked about Ramsgate and WWII. There was a similar boat movement from Ramsgate to the one in Dunkirk (we looked it up online). So we got into the car and drove over. But there wasn't anything in the town, no museum, plaques etc..., telling about the towns involvement in WWII, but it was a pretty little town.

Sammy on the coast at Ramsgate

After we arrived in Ramsgate we took a walk down the coast and we discovered that they have white cliffs like they do in Dover. Which by the way we've been meaning to go to but haven't got around to it yet. After our walk down the cliffs, we took Gabi down to the beach and we had so much fun! Sammy took a video with our camera and I love it! Of course I haven't figured out how or if I can load it on the blog site. But she was running and barking and having a grand old time!

I figured out how to upload video - this is one of my favorites of Gabi. She's having such a good time on the beach, she doesn't get to play in the water as much as she use to in Texas so it's fun to watch her splash about now.

And she slept all the way home!

And as you can see - Gabi had an excellent time on the trip, she slept all the way home.

Spa Weekend

At the beginning of April we went to Switzerland for a long weekend of rest and relaxation. We stayed at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Lausanne which I absolutely loved, http://www.brp.ch/uk/navigation.htm .

Our hotel had a few bars and cafe's but my favorite was the English Bar. It was our favorite spot to have a drink in the afternoon before dinner. I loved the wood paneling, the whiskey and their chopped steak burger was to die for! It was the next best thing to Texas Beef. The bar was also very comfortable and relaxing.

Sammy and Judith in the English Bar

Our hotel was right on Lake Geneva and the weather couldn't have been better. It was sunny and warm everyday we were in Lausanne, a nice change from the cold and rain in London. The hotel had an excellent Spa which I took full advantage of, I had massages (yes plural!), a facial, body scrub, a mani, pedi and a Japanese bath. I was so relaxed I could barely stay awake.

Sammy also enjoyed the spa facilities he came down to the Spa had a pedicure and enjoyed the pool.

Sammy waiting for his Pedicure

When we weren't enjoying the Spa or pool facilities we were exploring Lausanne. One day We took a paddle boat out on the lake and it was incredible. The water was very smooth and inviting looking but when you dipped your hand in it the water was freezing cold.

Sammy and Judith paddling on Lake Geneva

The Alps around the lake were so majestic they didn't look real. Some days you could hardly see them from the haze but on the day we were paddle boating we had a good view. We could see the Alps from our hotel room, but even when it was hazy the view was so beautiful you just wanted to sit, drink coffee, and quietly enjoy it.

The view from our hotel room

We also wandered around the old part of Lausanne visited a flea market and walked around a cathedral they were restoring. We stopped in a small sandwich shop while we were walking around and we had the best sandwiches I'd ever had. I don't know if it was because we were so hungry or if it was the homemade bread, but they were good.

Judith and Sammy at the Cathedral

Sammy and I also went to the Olympic park and museum, it's only a short walk from the hotel and it was very interesting. They have old tickets and programs as well as sporting equipment from the 1800's. They also had a collection of all of the Olympic torches which had been used and they displayed Olympic inspired art. My favorite was this statue of a man and his umbrella was a fountain.

Judith with Man Fountain

We walk through the parks (there were a few interconnected parks around our hotel) to the lake and one of my favorite Self Portraits Sammy snapped in the park right next to the lake. You can just see our hotel in the background.

On our last day in Lausanne we took a walk along the waterfront before we caught the train to Geneva. In the picture below I think we look like what we feel, very relaxed and happy.

Our last walk on Lake Geneva before going back to London

We didn't see as much as we could have while we were in Switzerland - we didn't even explore Geneva. But we didn't care because we had such a good time relaxing and strolling around Lausanne. I would highly recommend it to anyone who needed to unwind and anyone who enjoys having a Spa vacation.

Rouen France

In March, after I got back from Atlanta, Sammy and I went to France to visit a couple of his friends from Rice University.

Go Rice Owls!

We took the Eurostar because I had never been on it or through the Chunnel (check another item off the list). I have to say it was much easier and much less stressful than flying and it took about the same amount of time. But according to Sammy it's not a good choice because there are no frequent flyer miles involved.

Sammy and Alex at the Joan of Arc burning site

We had a very nice visit with Alex and Karen. We explored Rouen saw the spot where Joan of Arc was supposedly burned.

Sammy and Karen in the town square

While we were walking around I was introduced to one of the best cookies I've ever tasted (except a homemade Toll House cookie of course!), a Macaroon. After exploring we had dinner at a restaurant which bills itself as the "oldest restaurant in France" http://www.lacouronne.com.fr/accueil.jsp?lang=en.

Restaurant La Couronne

Dinner was excellent, I branched out and tried oysters. They were raw. Didn't like them. Glad I tried them - but didn't like them. Saturday we slept in - bliss! Then drove up to Paris, went to Louis Vuitton and browsed (Sammy bought a tie) and then went to dinner at La Fermette Marbeuf which we highly recommend.

http://www.fermettemarbeuf.com/en/index.html

It was an excellent dinner, good food, good company, what more could you ask for in a night out?

Next...a visit from one of my best friends from home...

Lexi in Atlanta

This post is ohh so late...but better late than never!

My trip to Atlanta was very exciting, not only did I get to meet Princess Shannon, I was able to meet my friend Lisa's new husband Phil! Lisa and Lexi (Gabi's best friend) moved from Houston where they were my neighbors, to Atlanta where Phil lives, back in November.

Lisa and Phil

Lisa had Sandi and I over to her beautiful new house - which was completely unpacked and decorated by the way - for dinner the Tuesday night after I arrived. I'm always in awe of Lisa's organizational skills, I've been in London for 2 years and I still haven't unpacked all my boxes or hung up all our pictures / paintings!

Lexi has been feeling under the weather but she greeted me with her same loud welcoming voice when we arrived at the house.

Lexi Chillin' on the Kitchen Floor

When I returned back to London Gabi was doing some serious sniffing in my bags. I think she could smell Lexi on my clothes and was a little disappointed that she (Lexi) wasn't here in the flesh.

Gabi in Northern England

After I had dinner with Lisa I stayed the night and we went shopping the next day in Roswell. We poked around in a bunch of little shops that had a ton of stuff I wanted to buy. Why is it I always find the furniture I'd like to buy when I'm thousands of miles away from my house?

Lisa's youngest is in the middle holding Shannon

Later that week we popped over to Lisa's house again for dinner and to meet her step-daughters. Lisa also had some other friends from out of town and we all had a great time eating and visiting. Shannon spent her time hanging out with the other kids at the party in the living room.

Lisa's eldest in front

The rest of us hung out in the kitchen chatting. I went home soon after this party...sigh... I was bumped from first class because Northwest was grounded due to a snow storm. So I had to ride coach all the way back to London, very traumatic.

Next trip on to Rouen to visit some old college buddies of Sammy's.

Sad news...Lexi passed away at home on May 21st 2007. She will be missed.

An Adoring Addition to Shannon's Fan Club

In February I had a solo trip to Atlanta. I went to visit one of my best friends Sandi and her new little edition, Princess Shannon. What a little cutie pie! Big eyes and a bigger smile which is turned on over 80% of the time.

Shannon laughing with me on the floor

During my visit I was witness to a couple of important baby milestones, the first was a self propelled flip from tummy to back. The second milestone which was almost as important... baby's first shopping marathon! Based on Shannon's reaction to the 4 - 5 hours we spent in the mall I believe she's going to be an expert shopper as are her mother and I!

While we were out we also made sure Shannon had the appropriate amount of exposure to Starbucks. By the time I left she was starting to become more interested in our coffee than her bottle (I'm only slightly exaggerating!).

Me and Shannon at, you guessed it...STARBUCKS!!!

While I was visiting I was re-introduced into the life of babies. Like clock work Shannon was up between 2am and 3am for a sip of water, then up again between 5:30am and 6:00am to eat. Of course Sandi did most of the work, but I did get my baby practice in by helping with the day feedings and rocking her when she was disgruntled. She's one of the most turned on baby's I've ever seen, she intensely curious and doesn't want to miss a thing.

Shannon, struggling to stay awake.

I watched Shannon for a few hours one day so Sandi could get some closet organization done and I took some very cute photos. This is one of my favorites, it reminds me of those photos that were popular a few years ago of big headed puppies. What a lovely baby!

Shannon lying on Sandi's bed.

I had an excellent time visiting Shannon and hope to see her again in June or July when she'll be about 10 months old. Wonder what she'll be up to then - walking?

Eat, Drink, and be Merry!

One of my best friends, Shonda, came into town in March for business and was able to extended her stay for a nice weekend visit on either side of the trip. YES! We had a wonderful time. We hung out at the house watched "B" movies like Alligator, Lake Placid, and Snakes on a Plane.

We also went out to a London club with some of my friends from the Shell project, and took a walk down Bond street to look at all the posh stores. While we were window shopping it started to rain (what a surprise) and so we went to my favorite pub in London, The Mews.

http://www.mewsofmayfair.com/home.asp

One of the best things about living in London has been traveling to Scotland and tasting the different whiskys available. Unfortunately its making my taste more discerning and I prefer the nicer whiskys now - which means I'm going to be spending more money on our bar at home!

At the Mews they have a wonderful 30 year Macallen which I absolutely love and since Shonda is a whisky drinker too, I had to take her so she could enjoy it. We started with the 30 year then decided to try the 18 so we could taste the difference. Just a note...don't go high to low when you are drinking whisky, the 18 year isn't bad but after the 30 it tasted like lighter fluid (or what I assume it would taste like!).

Another night Me, Sammy and Shonda all went to at Clos Maggiore which had both excellent service and food. http://www.closmaggiore.com/v1/default.aspx.

Shonda and I also went to another of my favorite restaurants in London, La Pont de la Tour http://www.danddlondon.com/restaurants/le_pont/home where we had lobster and enjoyed an excellent view of the Tower Bridge.

And on the weekend before she left we actually did a little site seeing. We went to Stratford upon Avon to visit Shakespeare's home. http://www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk/

Me and Shonda in Stratford

Keeping in line with my normal habit of not getting out of the house (or hotel if I'm on vacation) early we arrived in Stratford at around 2pm. Thankfully Shonda isn't an early riser either and was down with the leisurely schedule!

We visited Shakespeare's house...

Me and Sammy at Shakespeare's house

After visiting Shakespeare's house we walked around town and had a look at some of the medieval houses, which surprisingly enough, are still lived in.

Crooked House

We walked around for a little while then popped into a cafe which had a really interesting interior. I especially liked the staircase. The food wasn't bad but the service left much to be desired. So we skipped desert, walked around town a little more, then left to go back to London.