4.2 Earthquake in London. We can explain it....

It goes like this… 
 

Roxanne is visiting Stonehenge. Decides to take a little pebble from
the bottom. No one will notice. Well, those stones are really big,
and once set in motion, they slowly start to sway back and forth and
back and forth. Little by little the swaying gets broader and broader
until, smash, a big stonehenge bang when one more huge stone falls
over. 4.2 on the riechter scale. I told her she shouldn't have taken
that tiny pebble. 

She'll be in hiding until the aftershocks cease! 
 

UK Bookends...

This last weekend I had the incredible opportunity to go visit England and northern Wales. It was such an incredible weekend filled with breathtaking views, incredible smells, and wonderful texture. It might take a few days to get everything up here on the blog. (It was a pretty jam packed weekend!) Until then, here is the beginning and the end of my adventure!

Day 1: London. Many more pictures to come, but here's me at Big Ben.  

Day 3: Southern England. Here's our last big stop of the day: Stonehenge. Crazy cool.

 I'll get more pictures and stories posted as soon as possible! I had some amazing experiences! Stay tuned!

A few thoughts on Brussels...

This week I've been thinking about Brussels. A few random thoughts have lingered, and I thought I would share them...

Thought #1: Belgians are smart.

Belgium is an old country. Hence, lots of buildings built up because there is no room to build out. If you remember the picture of my stairs, you can imagine trying to move, say, a couch up the stairs. Really, moving anything bigger than a bag of groceries up the stairs... Anyway, in Belgium, they have special machines built that move stuff in from the outside. It's brilliant, really. Why not shove a couch through a window instead of a door. It beats hauling it up by yourself. Anyway, that's thought number 1.

Thought #2: Belgians need a little more Chevy in their lives.

Since I've been here, I've found it very entertaining to count trucks. Since you can't go a half a block in Logan without finding one, I've found it rather fascinating to see the difference. I've been here for 45 days. In that time (excluding Germany) I have seen, drumroll please, 5 trucks. Yes, five.  2 Dodge, 3 Chevy. One of these Chevrolets I see on a daily basis, right out my window at work. It has inspired a short poem, entitled "Ode to Chevrolet"

I do not live a single day

Without looking for a Chevrolet.

The body styles and curves, so fine, 

I can't wait until I call one mine!

It's so much more than just a car.

In all my dreams, I travel far

Behind the wheel. With more than luck,

I'd cruise inside a Chevy truck.

Machine and man become as one.

Destination: beyond the sun.

I know I'll live my dream someday,

Cruising in my Chevrolet.

So, that being said, I will continue my truck count, and enjoy the fact that Chevy is winning Dodge. There have been a few other Chevy cars, but my heart lies in the trucks. That's the country girl in me, what can I say?

Thought #3: Belgian waffles.

I had yet another waffle today, pure and holy. I still love them. I would refer you to 2 previous posts entitled Jour des Gaufres and Waffles! respectively. 

Those are my thoughts for the day. Thank you for reading!

Ireland!!!

Well, I've officially fulfilled another lifelong dream! I made it to Ireland last weekend! We flew into Dublin on Friday night and out of Shannon on Sunday, but it was the most incredible weekend imaginable!!!

Europe has this wonderful thing called RyanAir. It made this weekend possible. RyanAir basically flies from the "second" airports for cheaper. We flew out of Charleroi Brussels South, which is a 45 minute bus ride from Brussels. This picture is us and the plane of delight!

After arriving in Dublin, we found our hostel (Four Courts Hostel: I recommend it highly!). It was about 10:30 pm. Jordan and Rachel (travel buddies) opted to get some zzz's. I couldn't bare the thought of sleeping! :) I went to the front desk and asked the guys working where there was some "really good Irish music." They said that the Temple Bar always had good music, but that's where all the tourists go. They recommended a little bar called Cobblestone in the Smithfield area about 5 blocks away. I took their advise and headed out the door. Let me just tell you, the music was incredible!!! Indoor smoking has been banned in Ireland, so the only thing I had to worry about was how many drunk guys brought me my water... (My new favorite thing is the look on an Irish guy's face when you tell him you don't drink...) The group playing in the bar that night had 2 violinists, 2 banjos, a guitar, and a hand accordion (concertina?). They were phenomenal! I listened to them until after 1 in the morning. I had to leave out the side door because they had locked the front door! I met 2 really nice girls: Jan and Michelle. It was a great evening! Thank heavens for really good Irish music!

The next morning, we walked around Dublin a little bit. It is a completely different city in the morning then it is at night! It has so much character, though. I loved it! Dublin is one of those cities where you either love it or hate it. I loved it! It is built around the Liffey River. There are bridges crossing all over the place. This one cast a beautiful reflection in the water, so I took a picture for your viewing pleasure!

Here's another shot of the river. It is kind of a smelly, dirty river, but awesome nonetheless. I wouldn't recommend floating down this one... It's still scenic though, don't you think?

Walking around Dublin, we found this sweet church. It is called Christ's Church Cathedral. The grounds were beautiful. That's me in the picture, just incase you couldn't tell! Also important to note in this picture is the car. It is driving on the wrong side of the road. As were all the cars and busses. It freaked me out every time we would go around a corner. My heart practically lived in my throat this weekend. I thought I might die. It just threw me off a little. It was really funny to look into cars and think "That kid is WAY too young to be driving" then realize that I was actually seeing the front passenger, that the real driver was on the other (wrong) side...

This is probably the most random picture of the bunch. Ireland has these trees all over the place. It reminded me of trees you'd find in the desert. Note to self: Ireland is NOT a desert. But the trees were beautiful. There were all sorts, from big fir trees like home to skinny little trees to desert trees. All very, very green!

Saturday we went castle hunting. We found one in a town called Bunratty. It's a little town: a hotel, a castle, and a bar. I'm sure there's more, I just don't know where it was. Anyway, I had this fabulous cajun chicken at the Creamery Bar. While there, I enjoyed a lovely game of rugby on TV, as well as a man announcing to the entire bar that he was finally ready to admit that he was gay. It was an interesting lunch! Tasty, though. I had some very creamy mashed potatoes, and some "chips." (Another note to self: chips=frites=fries.)

This is the Bunratty castle. According to the sign hanging on the wall at the castle:

"The earliest fortress at Bunratty (1251) was a "bretesche" or wooden tower erected on a moat. This was followed in turn by De Clare's Stone Castle (1277) and De Rokeby's Castle (1353). The present O'Brien castle, built in 1425, had undergone many alterations during four centuries of occupation. But in the restoration works (1965/58) all additions later that 1619 (the date of the decorated ceiling in the chapel) were removed and the 15th centure crenellations restored. Admiral Penn was besieged here in 1646 and it is generally believed that his son, William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, then an infant, was at the castle."

Cool, huh?

We couldn't go inside, it was closed for maintenance, but we did get to explore the grounds. They were beautiful. It was kind of creepy, actually. Dead trees, hundreds of crows, and a castle as old as dirt. Not really creepy, but entirely too awesome for words!

As we continued our journey from the east coast to the west coast of Ireland, the landscape became more and more like I imagined it initially. Rolling landscapes, green as can be, and fields that go on forever. This picture was taken Sunday morning about 9:30, with the sun rising in the background. It was breathtaking!

As we were driving on Saturday, the sun was dancing behind the clouds. It was so interesting because you could look directly at it without burning out your eyeballs! It looked like a big circle darting in and out of the clouds. This picture doesn't do it justice, but if you look closely, you can see the sun in the clouds.

I think the sun is different in Ireland than anywhere else in the world. It's like Ireland is graced by the presence of the sun. Everything reflects the sun with gratitude. It is beautiful. The sun shines through the clouds and everything rests peacefully.

Here is more of the landscape in Ireland. The land is not separated by wire or picket fences, but rather walls of stone about 3 feet high. The stones are seemingly "thrown together," but so perfectly in place that it looks that way. The landscape just rolls right into the sky. It is amazing!

Here is even more of the landscape. I took this picture through the window of the bus, so I apologize for the reflection. It was just too pretty not to share!

Saturday night we stayed in a town called Lisdoonvarna. It was a quiet little town, but pleasant. The room we stayed in had 8 bunks, 5 of which were filled. Jordan, Rachel, and I filled 3, and there were 2 more guys from Dublin that were there surfing for the weekend. They invited me to go with them to the bar down the street. I gladly accepted, as we had passed a sign earlier that advertised "traditional music Saturday night!" They offered to buy me a drink, but I kindly refused and got a water. They were very much gentleman, though. Every round of Guinness they bought, they brought me another water. It was so much fun! We talked about everything from religion and politics to surfing and snowboarding to Napoleon Dynamite of all things... :) The music was great. It was just a jam session with a violin, a banjo, a guitar, a keyboard, and a tin flute. It was so much fun! I told the boys they had completed my Irish experience. Irish boys in an Irish bar listening to Irish music. It was phenomenal!

Sunday we made it to the place my heart desired the very most. In Clare county, we went to the Cliffs of Moher (said Mo'-huhr). We took a taxi from our hostel in Lisdoonvarna about 15 minutes to one of the most breathtaking view I have ever seen in my life! This is the visitor's center, built right into the hills!

Here I am, with the cliffs in the background. The cliffs are over 200 meters (700 feet) high! I look kind of tired (and understandably so, since I was out until past 1 for 2 nights in a row...), but it is proof I was there! ;)

Me with the cliffs... Gorgeous, huh? (The cliffs, I mean!)

This one is my favorite picture out of the 100+ that I took. It was a misty morning, as most of them are. The cliffs are right on the Atlantic Ocean. It was silent there, but you could still hear the waves crashing onto the rocks. It was a very humbling experience. I've felt similar things at the Grand Canyon. To look down and see how very small you are in comparison to these huge creations is amazing. The most humbling aspect of it all, however, is to realize how that you were created by the same Heavenly Father that created these. He created the sights and sounds and smells, but he created you with even more precision and care. You are just as much, if not more, a sight of beauty and amazement as these cliffs are. And you have potential beyond anything imaginable.

I love the way the sun is shining through the first 2 cliffs in this picture. It reminded me of us, as sons and daughters of God. Christ, the son, shines through to make an amazing creation even more beautiful. His light shines through us. We stand steadfast and tall, and He is behind us every step of the way, every hour of the day!

I love the mist in this picture. If you look closely, you can see more cliffs in the distance.

Here's another one with the sun shining through. I love this one because of the green Irish grass in the foreground!

This was a smaller rock jutting out of the ocean. The waves crashed into a V shaped crevice just below the surface of the water creating a beautiful white foam that sounded so peaceful and steady. It was awesome!

A little bit of Belgium...

I decided, after being here a month, that I should explore Brussels a little bit! I didn't have a whole lot of time, so I decided to hit the Grand Place. It's the "thing to see." It is actually really sweet. I was there on Saturday, 9 February. There was a wedding party coming out of the building pictured below. Tons of people. Lots and lots of tourists! :) The Grand Place is a big square with buildings and shops all around. The architecture is amazing. The detail is unimaginable! It is like buildings made of intricate lace. 

Before I came to Brussels, many people told me I had to see the Manneken Pis. It is located close to the main section of the Grand Place. I'm not going to lie, I was expecting something a little... Grander, if you will! The statue is about 2 feet high. It's just a little boy peeing. Random, I know. The best part is that they (I don't know who they is, just "they") dress him up in a different outfit every month. I saw him in his "February" outfit... A sweet cape sure to attract all the ladies!

Babysitting Week!

Last week I had the chance to take care of 2 girls in my ward while the rest of their family was in Israel. I stayed with them at night, and another girl from the ward would take care of them while I was at work. We had a great time! This is me with Kristina and Grace.

One fine evening, we decided to have 2 more girls from the ward over for a girl's night/slumber party. We ate frites (fries) and pizza from Pizza Hut! It was so much fun! Here's Roxy with (l-r) Anna, Kristina, Julia, and Grace. 

While we were waiting for the frites, the girls showed me their impressive pyramid techniques:

Not always the right place at the right time....

Listened to the answering machine tonight....
Shanelle for Utah State Marketing of Athletics left a message for
Roxanne, "Are you available to play the national anthem for the men's
Basketball Bracket Buster on Feb. 22?"
Ouch...
Not to mention a nationally televised game....
Maybe you could Skype it in... with an irish lilt :)
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A Short Story entitled "Heaven is Brown"

I feel inspired to tell you a story...

HEAVEN IS BROWN
a short story by Roxanne
written for her family

Chapter 1: Starting my day...

Once upon a time, it was Feb 15. I woke up and got all ready to go. Sister Passey gave me and all my stuff a ride back to my apartment so I wouldn't have to worry about it all while I was in Ireland this weekend. I was about 5 minutes late for work, but it was ok. I arrived with the knowledge that it would be a stressful day. I had many projects to start, and at least 2 meetings, one of which was at 9:30... I scrambled to get everything ready for that meeting, barely hearing the doorbell ringing at 9:20...

Chapter 2: The 9:30 Meeting...
I printed off everything I needed for my meeting. Power point outline, flyer outline, notes from the last meeting... I grabbed my pen and all the papers needed, then headed to Doram's office... I sat down, ready to discuss all the crazy projects I had going on, when I saw it. It's taped cardboard glistened in the sunlight shining through the windows. Doram put his hand on it and said, in passing, "this just arrived for you."

Chapter 3: Heaven...
The meeting was surprisingly successful, considering the distraction sitting on my lap! I couldn't help but smile at the package label: This parcel includes a gift." Why not be honest, I thought? The parcel IS a gift. The whole thing, down to the tape holding the box together. All of it. A wonderful Valentine's gift!!

Chapter 4: Opening the Cube of Goodness...
After my meeting, I could not get up the stairs fast enough! I carefully cut away the tape, and slowly opened the box. To my delight, sitting in the middle of beautiful red tissue paper was a large box. Neuhaus was written gracefully across the paper. However, the beauty of the wrapping was nothing compared to the goodness inside! Each chocolate, so perfectly decorated, sat in utter excitement of its new future inside my stomach. :) I carefully chose one off the top, following intense studying of the enclosed reading material. Millenaire. Gianduja with crisped rice. I took a small bite, overcome with a feeling of delight. It was incredible. I have never eaten chocolate so slowly. Each bite melted in my mouth, passing my lips only to engulf every tastebud in a sweet, smooth embrace. Heaven. I had no idea Heaven was so brown!

Epilogue...
Each chocolate is being enjoyed slowly and individually. It is, by far, the best day at work thus far, and I don't anticipate anything surpassing it!

The end.

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Coming soon... to a Blog near you...

Once upon a time, I left my camera cable at my apartment... I'll be posting a whole lot of pictures on Sunday. Stay tuned!

Pictures of Heaven!

Can you feel the excitement?

Heaven In Logan!

Dear angel Roxanne, she who delivers heaven to our door through a blue
man...

Okay, enough of the new age metaphysical imagery, thank you, thank you,
thank you!

What a special treat we had tonight at family night. As our treat, we
opened your box, passed out family endearing valentines, and divided
chocolate, (each chocolate) into five pieces. You would think I was a
surgeon. Each drooling family member unquietly waited as they division
was made, then, those precious words, (ONLY ONE PIECE!).

By common vote, we think we know without a shadow of a doubt, that
Belgium possesses a faboulous recipe for Chocolate. It is unique.
Sophisticated, well aged, terrible, and satisfying, (I with great honor
delegate it "Terrible" in the highest regard). Next we warmed up the
waffles. Can you really call them that? NO, they are like squares of
heaven, delightfully dancing across the tastebuds. Except for Kristina,
who moved them a little faster.... Gobble, gobble, (swallow, swallow,
to make it sound french) We absolutely loved the waffles. Please find
out how they pack such sabor into such a traditional piece of delight.
We have hired an armed guard, to watch over the seconds. It would make
a great action movie. 24/7 service.

Then, the German treats! How do they pack so much fun inside a
chocolate egg? That must be very painful for the chocolate chicken.

Valentines heaven came early thinks to your astute timeliness.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

We all share in your adventure. Not a moment passes that we don't share
a sense of excitement for your European experience!

We love you.

We hope your valentine's day/week/month will be as full of
love,fondness, and family as you have made ours to be.

With a big smack(cariñosamente) from all of us here in the Swiss Alps
of Utah.

Mom, Dad, Christopher, Daniel, Kristina and Midnight.
No, we did not share with midnight. We thought it best to not tell her
what we were up to; however, I know what those midnight barks will
mean. She does have a great nose!

ciao.

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Pictures from LHS Concerto Night 2008

Christopher about to begin his performance…

Serenading…

Nina with flowers…

mom, dad,

the five performers for the evening....

also, word of warning, never eat cake that has your name printed on it as frosting....

Christopher's Concerto Night unedited!

Concerto Night

Just letting you know about Christopher's Concerto night performance.
Should be fantastic. We'll post it to the blog when it's done.
(Hopefully they'll let us video the performance.) The Orchestra is
coming along nicely. John will be conducting (Okay brass, let's make
that first note beautiful!) and Christopher will be engaging as always.
One advantage over the rehearsals is that the performance will be in
the evening instead of in the morning. (Yes, it is hard to sing at
8:00am). Again, you are all invited, Thursday night at 7:30, Logan High
School Auditorium, if not in person, in spirit!

Go Christopher!

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Weekend in Germany!

Well, here's the coolest weekend ever! In pictures! Uncle Mike and Aunt Debbie came to Brussels to pick me up. This is the Grand Place (Said "plahs") where we met. Way cooler than meeting at a gas station, don't you think?

We drove through Luxembourg to get to Germany (which makes 3 countries in one day! Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany!) This is a sunset in Germany as we were driving.

Mike, Debbie, and Shanna took me into Heidelberg Saturday night where we saw this sweet blown-up castle! It was awesome! This is me next to the Eye of the Needle. It is talked about it the bible. Matthew 19:24. Look it up. It probably took me longer to find the reference than it will for you to find it! :)

This is Heidelberg, viewed from the castle. The river is named Neckar. It was beautiful!

Here's a sweet view of the castle (the part that's not blown to bits.)

The castle is in the top of this picture (the big thing all lit up). We walked all the way up 300-some stairs to get there! Wahoo for legs! It really is a blessing that I can do this all, and not have to be bed-ridden because of the clots! What a blessing!

Sunday we went to the Nanstein castle, which you can see from Mike and Debbie's back patio. It was incredible!!! This is the view from the castle. 

And this is a view from the other direction. This one is actually my favorite view of them all!

Looking down from a higher part of the castle...

The castle was built around 1150 ad for a king named "Red Beard" of Barbarossa. Sounds a little pirate-y, eh?

See that little red blob? That's me, pretending I'm a princess!

Sweet arch with a sweet view!

More of the Nanstein castle...

The castle is built from the mountain. It's difficult to tell when the mountain stops and the castle begins! In this picture, you can see the rock really well on the bottom left, and the actual castle on the top left.

Stairs to the dungeon...

The dungeon! It's actually a lot darker than this, I just have an incredibly flashy camera! ;) It was pretty musty, but so awesome!

Here's Mike, Debbie, and Shanna. They showed me a fabulous weekend!

The other highly significant part of this weekend is that I fulfilled a dream. I drove on the Autobahn!!! Mike let me drive his BMW until the France border. Talk about adrenaline! There just aren't words! I hit a top speed of about 130 mph, but went cruising for a while at about 120 mph! Absolutely living a dream! Castles and Speed all in one day! This picture is my entrance to speed heaven... *Sigh* It was wonderful!