A Visit to Normandy

A friend (Jake Miller) lent us his car while he left town for the weekend. So we went to Paris and Normady!!! We brought along our new friend, Brandice. She is climbing out the backside because the parking spaces are too small to actually open your door.

Our first stop was Paris. This neighborhood is where Victor Hugo (Les Misrable) lived. That was kind of neat.

Ok this is interesting. We paid 8 euros to go up and see Notre Dame's Bell. Well, we went up, but never saw a bell. I guess it was closed off the hour we went. You'd think we'd get a discount or something. But it was actually fun. We climbed up a very long, spirally staircase and got an incredible view of Paris!

I was a little obsessed and had Greg take a million pictures of me with the gargoyles. Here is just one.

Crepes . . .

This was the best part of Paris: The Water Lillies.

Greg and I didn't have enough time to get to this museum the last time we were here. We had heard that Monet's Waterlillies were amazing but WOW!

We had no idea how LARGE they were! It was incredible! It must have taken him years to accomplish this! I don't know how he even did it. It was amazing. I would love to go again.

I also thought it was just one painting. But there were 2 oval rooms made just for them. They were beautiful.

We walked to Arc de Triomphe. This is funny- well to me anyway. The last time we walked there it seemed to take forever. We walked for over an hour and it never seemed to get closer. So, this time around, we were debating the walk and I said, "It's gonna take an hour." No one believed me. We also had to be at an Opera house by 5pm to stand inline for stand in tickets (only 5 euros!). So we walk . . . and walk . . . and walk. And we arrive and have to immediately leave and we were still 15 minutes late! And therefore, missed our opportunity for opera tickets- darn!

But then we had time to see the Eiffel Tower! And it really is beautiful.

On to the Normandy Beaches!!!!!

Greg and I were the most excited for this. It was a long drive so we weren't sure if we should come at all. Once we arrived, we only had 3 hours before we had to start home again. But it was well worth the drive. Being on the D-day beaches, it was a little emotionally overwhelming. First of all, Normandy itself was so beautiful. The town was so old. I loved just winding thru on the roads. I couldn't stop imagining men with helmets, scrambling up hills carrying a big gun. Everywhere I looked I saw a single man here then there, running for cover. If Brandice wasn't there, I would've been crying.

The beach was covered in white rocks. The beach I grew up on has nothing like this.

The cemetery was wonderful. I wasn't even looking forward to it that much, but there are no words to describe. It's just something everyone should do. Soon after we got there, wandering through the crosses I found this one.

It says, "HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY A COMRADE IN ARMS KNOWN BUT TO GOD" It made me wonder who he was and who his family was- if he had a family. I don't really know what to say, it just made me stop.

With the trees, flowers and ocean- it was just so beautiful! It was perfectly kept. So respectful. What a beautiful place to be buried and remembered. Every direction or angle you could possibly look, the crosses were perfectly rowed. We kept saying "there are so many" and then Greg pointed out that these are only the Americans. I can't help wonder how many Russians, English and Germans died, as well.

The crosses went on and on. I really wanted to walk the whole thing. I kept thinking, "Oh I can see the end." But then after more footsteps I'd see so many more. It was incredible.

This was the most peaceful place, outside the temple, I have ever been. It was soothing. I just left Brandice and Greg and walked all around by myself, looking at all the graves and just thinking. I kept wishing I lived there so if I ever needed to relax, I could just come here.

It was soooooo beautiful with the ocean in the distance. It was really soothing, as well, to hear the ocean waves as you walked around.
Wow, an American flag in France waving proudly!

Once I took my first steps onto the beach I just envisioned never ending boats from end to end coming to shore. It was overwhelming.

Down to the beach . . .

Before we even arrived- at my first glance of the ocean I said, "It's a different blue!" I noticed immediately. Sometimes it was very subtle, but others it looked tropically. It was strange for me to be on such a different ocean.

Brandice

It was REALLY windy. Before we left, my face felt like an ice cube and I felt I couldn't talk fast because my muscles were frozen.

We were all walking at a leisure pace and then Greg just took off on his little boy adventures! Whenever we get to an "adventury place" he just takes off running and can't stop, just like a young boy. It is so cute!

Our first bunker . . .

Now it looks like he's just kneeling beside, but he's really ducking low to get INSIDE of the bunker.

It was crazy how you'd be walking and suddenly there'd be a hole there- out of the blue.

Running Greg . . .

Still running.

If you looked down inside you could see where the big machine guns hooked on.

So beautiful . . .

This one was really big and you could see where explosions had happened.Another one!

We found this GIANT hole in the earth (it looked bigger in real life) and figured a big bomb must have landed here.

Greg, shooting from his bunker. He even through grenades towards us (well rocks, anyway).I like this pic. I don't have many mid-movement shots. It was really crazy! The bunkers were just everywhere! You just walk one direction and then all of the sudden it's there. You never see it coming. Very scary when you think of WHY it's there and what people were doing there.

It was really nice being by the beach. It felt like we were in Oregon at my parent's house. On the way home I just wished we were there on the couches eating popcorn, talking and watching movies.

Among other things, Greg and I have started going to a FREE french class on Wednesdays (at church, taught by the missionaries). Last week was our first and tonight is our second. And we're trying to figure out if we can go to Institute class. I know, I know. I keep telling Greg I'm not a student so I don't have any obligations, but all we do at night is watch UGLY BETTY or American Idol so we might as well. But it's tricky. Since it's only a small group of 6 at the most, we're all trying to work around EVERYBODY'S schedule, so the day is always being switched around. We're trying to figure it out.

Greg has been playing basketball every Wednesday night as well and doesn't return until after midnight. Pretty hilarious. Jake Miller- a friend from our old ward- is married with 4 kids but is always out and about late at night with lots of people. The first time we hung out with Jake it was to watch a BYU football game online and there were TONS of people there! And it was LATE! He threw a goodbye party with tons of food for a lot of interns. I always feel like I'm single again when we hang out with Jake.

My New Years Goals have come in a little late. I've never been a "new year goal" maker- well not in my adult years. I just always have the same goals all the time. But I realized as I've been eating crappier this month and watching HOURS of tv every single night something needed to change. I'd lost my little sparkle. So it began last night and I surprised myself! Usually when I make my "exercise goals" they start very small indeed. I remember many occasions where I only had the goal of 10 pushups and after one pushup I couldn't get myself off the floor. Amazing isn't it? So I made my goal of 10 (to start) and what did I do??? I bust out 30 push ups!!! WOOHOO!!! I had no idea I had that in me! I was excited. So I thought, "Maybe I can do 30 sit ups, too?" I was originally thinking 10. And it happened! I was so proud of myself! And I think I ran 3/4 of a mile today. It was just around the block (we have a big block). I think if I would've run the whole way it would've been a mile, but I pooped out towards the end. Usually if I haven't ran in awhile, I can't make it to 1/4 mile before I have to walk. Honestly- this is NO exaggeration. 2 years ago Greg and I decided to start running together, and our first run- before an 1/8 mile or so I had to walk and then once I made it to 1/4 mile I had to sit down, had trouble breathing and honestly thought I might die. So with these experiences only a couple years behind me- I'm feelin' good!

I've written my handful of goals on a piece of folded paper and taped it to the wall. And unless I'm non-functionable I can't watch t.v before I've accomplished them, or atleast a good chunk of them. I have 15 minutes of French Study on there as well. I realized last night 15 minutes is good because it's not enough to get burnt out, but after 15 minutes my brain started to get "jammed" and I just couldn't get anymore information in. That happens to me when I get tired. Greg will be trying to explain something to me and the information is not going in and then out of my ears- it's not even going in, and then I have to tell him that he has to tell me later. He doesn't like it.

Our apartment smells SO BAD!!! Oh man, it's bad. It's our garbage (I hope). But the garbage man doesn't come 'till tomorrow night, so we have to wait until THEN to take it out. So we just have to suffer . . .

I know this is pointless and not important. But I've had a break through. I can actually style my hair. I blow dry it and use a roundbrush and I actually have volume! I've been trying to accomplish this for 27 years and it has finally arrived. Pretty shameful for a hairdresser to be saying, but it's true. I think it's happening also because somehow I have the determination and energy, which I just didn't care and was too lazy before.

The last 2 weeks I've been watching America's Next Top Model every single day. I LOVE IT!! I come home everyday and tell Greg all about it and I know he's not really listening, but he lets me go on because I have no one else to talk about it with.Now I find whenever I'm in front of a mirror I'm doing serious face expressions and poses, seeing if I have what it takes :)