Surprise Breakfast

My dad decided to make breakfast for us Sunday morning--mmm, was it delicious!! Talk about a surprise for the kids!! :)

Okay, yes, they do look a little different, don't they? :) Well, they were a gift--chocolate eggs and chocolate covered bacon!! (Note to self--heating them a tad makes it kinda messy to serve...) But boy, did they love it!!

We love it when our dad cooks! Thank you Papa!!!

PS...we had cereal too ;P

"The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him."

~ Proverbs 20:7 ~

Allah vs. Christ

Today was the Regional Spelling Bee, which Esther and Josiah competed in and finished 3rd and 4th places, respectively. Afterwards, we celebrated, which included a visit to Jamms.... :)
While there....we saw this sign on their "Awesome Board".... which I promptly added to, followed by two of my siblings...

Well....we got busy talking--all distracted, and right before we left, we saw this lady and her family sit down, and guess what she did??

 Just a reminder that God only asks US to be responsible with what the Truth He has shown us... Makes me want to take the initiative more to share Christ--yeah, it's only a napkin (because there was no more paper), on a Jamm's board, but God can use even napkins for eternity... I'm praying for those napkins, and the people that read them...maybe they will change someone's life...

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear."

~ 1 Peter 3:15 ~

Fun-Sized Spring

Happy Spring everyone!!

Welcome to one of my 4 favorite seasons! ;P

This was pretty much today...(Except it ain't too dreadfully hot yet! ;D) 36ºF coming up! ;)

And....I have to share my favorite short joke of the day....for people like me who are fun-sized!!!

"Counsel in the heart of a man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out."

~ Proverbs 20:5  ~

Jury Duty

Well, we got home safe and sound, without predicament. After a decent night's sleep, Monday started 3.5 days of jury duty for me... Not only was  I picked for jury duty (a first in my immediate family), but I sat as Juror the entire time, despite the possibility of being 'just' an alternate...

Our case was terrible, sad, complex, yet fascinating: A domestic battery done by a husband to his wife.... We found him guilty as charged, and not guilty for Kidnapping to the 2nd degree, due to lack of evidence.

I love serving jury. It fascinates me - the ins and outs of it.... I only did a little bit of speech and debate in high school (and didn't particularly 'love' it), and served as judge a couple years ago for the local tournaments as well, however all of my experiences with speech and debate have given me a real appreciation and understanding for the different facets of each argument presented in the courtroom, and the foundation laid for them... It is definitely something I think all kids should do--at least for a season....

Jury duty truly is a right and duty of each United States citizen. It is our opportunity to not only give back to our community, but take part of the legal proceedings which happen each day in our judicial system.

Granted, often cases include some terrible things, and conflicting things to sort through, however, God is the giver of wisdom to those who lack, and we can trust Him for it!!!

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour."

~ 1 Timothy 2:1-3 ~

"Justice and judgement are the habitation of Thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before Thy face."

~ Psalms 89:14 ~

EU: Heading Home!

Well, after 15 incredible days touring Europe and making memories of a lifetime with my family, we are heading home this morning....due back in Spokane around 9pm tonight!! We've all loved every minute of our travels, but sometimes, it is just time to be home.

I think the only thing we regret is missing church...again. :/ That'll just make next week even better, right?!
I love my European roots, and we saw every place we're from (Except Ireland)... England, Holland, Germany, France, Scotland, (Italy)....yes, it was a wonderful time!!

I am so grateful for the opportunity to come on this trip---thank you truly Papa and Mama from the bottom of my heart for this experience!

Idaho, here we come!!

EU: Ziplining Expedition

Today we went zip lining.... I love zip lining like I love heights...it is awesome, and one of my favorite things to do. I'm starting to accumulate various places I have zip lined: Ketchikan, Alaska; Davao City, Philippines; South Cotabato, Philippines, White Fish, Montana; and now Loubert, France!

Last Fall in Montana, we did some super long zip line, and rope courses following. This time, they were combined, which was a lot of fun. I love rope courses because they give just enough challenge to really sharpen your balance skills (and sometimes make you rethink your love of heights ;P)..

To get there, we had to walk to the train station, before taking a train, bus, and bike to the Zip Line place...
Something I learned:
Directions are a gift from God, especially when the difference is 2 loooong flights of stairs covering 200+ feet elevation (that is after walking 7 miles surrounding the country of Monaco the night before... ;P)

So, we have noticed in our travels that there are quite a few gulls missing an entire foot!! And, most of those we see are around the train stations... discussing it, it seemed unlikely that the foot went missing because the bird was perched on the train track.....so, we are wondering if a more likely explanation would potentially be the escalators?? Hmm.... They still get around quite well though!!

While biking, I was just thinking: "I love biking! It is so good to be biking right now! I'm on top of the world!", when all of a sudden, this lady and her 2 little (I mean little) dogs come opposite - my left, and the one purposefully tries to get under my wheel!! I never thought bikes were deadly, but it almost was...thank goodness for swerving...still.

James did awesome on this course!!! Wow...I'm impressed!

Hard to see, but Rebekah and Esther are on the left climbing along the side of the mountain...

The worst experience ever was this thing...you jump off a rope, into a net!! Agh....I hated it....talk about a face implant!! Scared my memory forever.... ;)

Looking Forward: Going home tomorrow!!!!

EU: Conquering Monaco

Somehow in the scuffle of things, we mixed up the dates -- zip lining is tomorrow. Thus, today we walked around the whole country of Monaco!! It took us 5 hours (with gelato and shop stops ;P) We took the hard way--going down hill the short side.....and going uphill the long side (which took longer)...

An orange tree!!

I found the aqua-colored design in this driveway peculiar....and it matched there house behind it!

So...Monaco has phone booths too (just more refined ;P)

A breath of fresh air from the stark contemporary skyscrapers around it.

Some people and their (little) choices of transportation... "Aww...how cute..you can bring one person with you!" ;P

This was a LONG tunnel...kinda fun to get the boys in the photo (even though they were patiently waiting for me to get our of their photo shot ;P)

My little brothers are really growing up...I'm not sure if it's just their manly testosterone kicking in, but now all of a sudden, they are getting really protective of us girl..It's really sweet!! I love my brothers!

My brothers.... (and of course--gotta get right at the edge to look at the nice drop to the water! ;P)

Photos (x3!)

No fear. :)

=)

Had to take the chance of putting my feet in the water! (Brr, it's cold!)

Under the massive boulders of the "beach".

What is this was a real cow.....

So I have this friend who is raising her son with semi-French influence...and she has this book noting the different between French kids and American kids (for instance--they are much calmer, eat well--not just macaroni ;p, etc..) So....I've been analyzing French kids here, and actually would have to agree...there is something different about them. And they're happy...They go out for walks, and are NOT like typical American kids.... Gonna have to look into this....

These strollers are VERY common here.....and you see all manner of people pushing them... Kinda cute actually to see the dad's taking their kids out for walks..

Interesting...they have a whole little area with these, in front of the sea block....  (I like feet...this would be kinda cool to do in concrete...)

Looking for enemies approaching.. ;)

What a little man!

What a view!!

A taste of aloe

The Oceanagraphique Musee (Museum) is literally built on the rock! It was kinda neat to see it from the back view!

I love helicopters... It was so fun to get to walk past their landing port, and the blue one up top sure landed smoothly!

This mosaic on the wall... You know, if their music sounds as drear as they do, I'm not sure I'd want to listen to it.. 

The ground covering of this one little park area was oak nuts!!! Almost looks like bark... 

A view up at the castle from the harbor.

Fascinating..the names of yachts these days.... What a contradiction!

This boat was much smaller than the other one, but the name fascinated... Mr. and Chic... Hmmm... I'm not sure about that...

They have a little carnival here...got me thinking to previous conversations about Jokers...

I like clowns. There is nothing to fear....

Those buildings are in France.

A view of Monaco--most of the mountain behind it, is France.

Perfect name, eh? (Nice is pro. "Niece", and is actually in France) :)

I like this sign--- "extinction", eh?

There is nothing like walking up the side of a mountain through flights of steep stairs...definitely a memory maker!! However, it is different from hiking....especially if you're trying to walk fast and minimalize stops so you can get home before dark.

Not kidding--we climbed this staircase and the one below that.....pretty much hundreds of feet in a row....

We figured Joshua and the Israelites walked around Jericho for 13 times in 7 days (Joshua 6), and God gave Jericho to them...so, although we don't have 7 days here, maybe by walking around the perimeter once, we could start conquering Monaco for Christ through prayer! :)

Tasha, this is a {tabby} cat we saw. I posted it for you. :)

Precarious parking and NOT much of a curb!! (it's a 20' drop below...)

Do you see the white thing in the cactus (right middle of picture)? That is a bolt someone put in it! Modern Art?

Actually....we just wanted to be able to say we did it. It amazes me how small the country actually is! So much of what we see is really France, not Monaco!

The moon was gorgeous tonight....

With breaks, it took us 5 hours to walk around the country. What fun (and a workout)! If you get the chance to come one day, walk around it....just walk uphill first (going Left)...it'll be all downhill from there!!! :)

Looking Forward: Ziplining tomorrow!

"And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour."

~ Joshua 6:2 ~