WWII Normandy

Brian and I have been wanting to go to Normandy, France for quite some time. Our main purpose for this trip was to visit the cemetaries from World War II. I was very moved by this experience, much more than I expected. I just kept thinking of the chaos and the fear of so many young boys and men. I wept for the many mothers and wives and children who loved, honored and supported such brave soldiers. It was overwhelming to stand amid the thousands of headstones, and think of the loss and the struggle. I want to be more grateful for the precious freedoms these men purchased with their lives.

American Cemetary in Brittany, over 4000 soldiers.

British Cemetary, about 3500 soldiers, including some German soldiers. Each family was allowed to have an inscription printed on the grave, and the ages were listed as well.




American Cemetary, Omaha Beach. Over 9000 soldiers.



Omaha Beach, looking down on the beach from the cemetary. This was where the troups landed, and had to struggle uphill to where the enemy was stationed on the high ground, up above the thick foliage and undergrowth. Not an easy victory by any means.
On the beach.

WHO ARE THESE MEN ?

Who are these men who march so proud,
Who quietly weep, eyes closed, head bowed?
These are the men who once were boys,
Who missed out on youth and all it's joys.

Who are these men with aged faces,
Who silently count the empty spaces?
These are the men who gave their all,
Who fought for their country for freedom for all.

Who are these men with sorrowful look
Who can still remember the lives that were took?
These are the men who saw young men die,
The price of peace is always high.

Who are these men who in the midst of pain,
Whispered comfort to those they would not see again?
These are the men whose hands held tomorrow,
Who brought back our future with blood tears and sorrow.

Who are these men who promise to keep
Alive in their hearts the ones God holds asleep?
These are the men to whom I promise again:
'Veterans',my friends-I will remember them!

(Anonymous 1966)

I see London, I see France!

We finally made it over to France -- only the second time since we've lived here, even though it's our closest neighboring country. It was great! We took the ferry over to Normandy. Here we are, in the car, loading onto the ferry... Here's Spencer on the ferry... He LOVED that he was out of his car seat. Two minutes on his tummy in the stroller, and he was fast asleep the WHOLE time, good boy!(His first trip outside of the UK)
And Sammie on the ferry, watching out the back deck, with Daddy...

First stop was Mont St Michel, a monastery built out on a rock in the ocean. There's a causeway out to it now, but it's pretty obvious it has been surrounded by water. It dates back to 900 AD, though most of it was completed in the 13th and 14th centuries. Amazing! I tried to take a shot from the car window as we were approaching, and this is the best I got...
I have to include some of my other attempts, so you can compare and see that the above picture was actually quite good...
I was trying to hold the camera out the sunroof for most of these. Not something I would advise...

Brian finally caught a good picture, as we were leaving...
On the way up to the monastery, there's an entire village, with nice hotels, restaurants and little souvenir shops. It had all the quaint winding stone streets that I just love. We ate lunch on a terrace overlooking the causeway and the river.

View of us on the balcony of the chapel, surrounded by gorgeous farmland...
Sam and Kam in the cloister...
Artsy cloister shot...

Some shots from the top, looking out over everything...


That little island (below) must be a pilgrimage place, because there were people walking out through the water to it, from all directions. They looked like little tiny dots from where we were. You might be able to see if you zoom in? We never figured out what it was for, but lots of people down in the "village" at the base of the monastery were walking around barefoot, with grey mud caked on from their wading.
Some shots of the amazing architecture. It was fascinating to see all the different styles from different periods merged so nicely...



There was a large group of Asian tourist who were quite taken with Samantha. Here she is getting her picture with some fans...
And here she is, showing us how talented she is, balancing on one foot!
We went into the main chapel just as they were finishing a little concert on the pipe organ. Samantha was mesmorized! For 20 minutes after it was over she kept asking about "more music" and wanted to see the organ 10 different times. She's our music lover, for sure...
Yes, Spencer, you were there too...
I think I'll save the next bit for a new post. Feel the suspense!

Hair care

So, I dyed my hair last week. It's nothing spectacular. I just wanted to get everything back to basically the same color. I have to do that any time I do highlights... they grow out, I get a highlight-line, I dye it all back to brown.

Anyway, I just used the cheapy stuff from the store (gasp from the hair-dressers). It says you're supposed to do a strand test for 48 hours, etc. I didn't. I never do. It turned out just fine, can't even tell, really. But I started wondering about other peoples' hair habits. Does anyone really ever do a strand test? Are there personality types, even among my own circle of friends who might just believe in strand testing? So I'm just curious, and have a little pole for my bloggers... (I'll keep it yes or no, but feel free to expand.)

1. Have you ever dyed your hair?
2. Have you used the cheapy store brands?
3. If you have dyed your hair, have you ever actually done a strand test? If so, I demand an explanation.
4. Have you ever had disastrous results, dying your hair?
5. Have you ever NOT done a strand test, and later wished you would have?

Thanks for satisfying my curiosity. Aside, my hair is falling out by the handful right now. Every shower, every time I brush it. Yuck. Not-so-fun post-pregnancy side affect. I hope it stops soon, or I may really be bald. (sigh)

A picture of Brian and me from our recently attempted temple trip--- this is post hair-dye, just for those of you who really wonder if it really doesn't look that different.
Told ya, it doesn't.

A little more personality

Spencer will be four months old this weekend! (Where has the time gone?!) I've got a few cute pictures that show some of his fun personality. Thought I'd share....









Of course, Sammie had to get in on the photo shoot, too...
And of course, she made up her own outfit...
My two cuties...