First stop was in Paris to visit with my brother Steve and Renee on their mission. They have an apartment right on the Seine, just one block from Notre Dame. Talk about a sweet location for a Senior Missionary apartment! It's tiny though and we only stayed the first night and the last night of our trip. They were fabulous hosts and it was great to see them in action on their mission.
Our first week we spent on the French Riviera. We found this sweet apartment called "Regarde sur Monaco" and it's obvious why....look at that view of Monaco from the balcony. We were there the week prior to the yacht show and by the time the show was starting there was over 60 yachts in the bay. It was amazing. We did go into Monaco for a day and had a full, all-out, yacht covet.
We also love to go into Menton. They have finished a new boardwalk with shops and restaurants. Tom got a paper and a double chocolate magnum bar. Doesn't get much better than that. We spent our time walking the capes, swimming in the ocean, riding the bus to the various little villages along the water, enjoying the sun & sea.
Next stop: Brussels. "Home". We got there and realized how much we missed it. Missed is ALL. The rain, the food, the people, the history and sights, our favorite walks, the drivers who get out of the passing lane, the smells, the bike friendly culture. We stayed in Daniels apartment....it's been 3 years and he still hasn't rented it out. We miss it. Simple as that.
St. Catherine's square. I know I have photos of all these places, yet I couldn't stop taking pictures!
St Gerry area and the Stock Exchange
Sad. Sad. Sad. Lotus Verte will always hold a fav spot in our heart, but the cook is gone, and so is the soul. Sad. Sad. Sad.
10th floor, end apartment. Sigh.
Even going to the metro at Schuman. It all seemed so picturesque.
Had to go to Brugge. Why? For the chocolate wheels of course. We had our best moules there as well. Splurged on a restaurant that is right on the canal. We had a canal corner table. The moules were exquisite. No kidding. EXQUISITE.
Casares' drove down from The Hague to have lunch with us. What friends would do that? They would!! We were lucky to see lots of friends. Tom saw a co-worker, Phil Chulick. I had lunch with my tennis/biker friend Freya. We visited with Tom's counselors, Mike and Mark. So great to catch-up with our friends!
Leuven, Domus. 'Nuf' said.
Church was fun. We honestly didn't think we would know very many people. Guess we 'forgot' that Dad was Stake Pres for eight years so the locals were still there and still remembered him. So good to visit with Leticia Binwag, Regina, Sinui, Emanuela De Mateis, and many more. The Flemish ward was bursting at the seams, the French ward is dwindling.
Just a regular night at the Grand Place. Always a treat, always a jaw-dropper. Did I say anything about missing this place?
Okay, just a photo try: trying to get the reflection of the spires in the rain puddle...
After a week in Brussels, we did our one night stay at the Dreesen. Got our bikes and rode North to Bonn, and the next day South to the end of the trail.
Oh that Dreesen. Olaf had written us a note "Welcome Home"....had a fruit basket, and the fridge was full of the rhubarb drink and no beer. The breakfast was still great as ever. Tom gazing at the barges and it looks like you can see the Petersburg on the top of the hill.
Back to Paris. We stayed in an awesome hotel near the Madeliene called Hotel d'Arcade. Got a great price. We took one night to go to Versailles and go to the Temple. We got lucky and they asked us to be the witness couple. After having been back for a couple of weeks submerged in French, it was comfortable for us to do the session without headphones.
Versailles. So many cool photos it was hard to decide what to 'cut'....this one made it.
Tulleries. Paris is a great city. Hard not to love it.
We ate lunch in the Galleries with this great view. Terrific salad bar!
We were there the first week-end of the month. So all the museums were free on Sunday. Additionally, on the Saturday night there was the Nuit Blanche. Concerts and events happening everywhere and Free! We went to an opera, a parade, saw some outdoor living art, enjoyed the vibes of the city of light.
Can't keep the lovers from leaving their locks on the bridge. Didn't they have to take it all down b/c it was getting too heavy? We hated to leave. Our 3 weeks in Europe was so refreshing and so fun to walk down memory land and soak it all in again. We hope this wasn't the last trip. We hope it's a regular event, but you never know about life. So glad we had this chance!
I was home one day from Europe, did laundry, and then Suzanne and I drove to Farmington so we could attend the wedding of Sheridan and JD. They got married at the same venue that Jed and Nicole were married at in Durango Colorado! Wow!
The happy couple with Mom
Penny! We got to have her all to ourselves for 4 days while her family vacationed in Hawaii. She is full of energy and 'sass' but we loved it all. She slept like a champion. Must be this mountain air. Got her back to her family (via the Bluths) and we were invited by the Greens to go swim with them at the Zermatt Hotel in Midway. We had a warm, sunny day to swim....and the next morning we woke up to a snowstorm! What???
The sunset tonight (Oct 27th). We love our dining room that lets us see this view anytime we like!
I realized I need to keep up my blog so that Tom and I will have some good reading for our old age. It makes such a difference to have photos to jog the memory and to realize how good life really is. Otherwise you forget, you really do. Or take it all for granted. And then you aren't grateful....and I always want to be grateful. My last post was at the beginning of 2019....and it's now October. So this will have to be a rather long blog, but hopefully concise.
I am sitting in Daniel's apartment in Brussels Belgium. We have had a nice week here. Rain of course, but enough sunshine to get out and have a marvelous time down memory lane. What an opportunity it was to spend so many years here. Can't even begin to put into words my feelings. It was awesome. How is that for concise?
But let me back up and post from January of 2019 until present, October 2019....
We get my Mom up to Utah for Christmas and New Years. Downtown we use our Christmas money for 'Light the World'
In the early part of the new year, we hooked up with our friends, the Hamiltons. Later we did a day of skiing with them at Park City.
We were staying with the Zoolakis family when the eclipse occurred. Beautiful
As part of our year long 'couch surfing' we had the chance to spend 2 weeks with Brent and Sandy...shooting their guns!
While in AZ we hooked up with Veeren...who has opened his own restaurant in Mesa!
Also had some time to be with my cousin Elaine (Evans) Williams. She is currently having a rough time since a child got into trouble with the law so it was good to be with her.
Also had the unique opportunity to visit with some of the Rosa family. I finally met Kathy Rosa who introduced the Gospel to Tom. This is her mother, Donna Rosa and her sister Kris. They live in Gilbert.
While mom was in UT for Christmas, her basement flooded when the City over-dosed her pipes with sewage! They loaded everything in her living room. This was a few months after the flood. Tom and I had to get all of this hauled away. No easy task when Mom wanted to keep it all for a 'garage sale'.....oh my! Later we went again to Farmington to check on the progress of the renovations...amazing to watch a 96 year old mow her lawn and trim it with scissors! We also tried to get a reverse mortgage but it didn't work out. Thanks to Brent he financed renovations on her rental houses and we finally have those listed with a property management company.
Ski time with Seth's family at Sundance in March! We were still couch-surfing of course so stayed at Lynne and Dow Wilson's house in Hobble Creek!
Tom taught in Monterey. This was the view we would have had from our back window if we had kept the house in Carmel. Not good that we sold it, but we did, and who knows why....
Natalie flew me out to babysit her girls so she and Noel could go together to New Zealand. Tom joined us for most of the time. The girls baked us cookies!
Easter. Blossoms in SLC were stunning....as were Colie's girls! We were staying in the Hamiltons apartment downtown SLC while they were on a church assignment. Fun to 'live' in the city.
The ongoing renovations sucked up most of our thoughts, energy and time. I would never do it again and would advise anybody thinking of such a project to seriously weigh that decision!
Had to cut down the tree on the side yard that was in the middle of the deck.....roots getting into the house.
Preparing for the new windows
Holy Smokes! We have to put in a new foundation!
Oh the Heber House renovations. Tom and Jed took down most of the stone. What a job!
Rehoboth Beach Delaware 2019 Reunion! DONUTS for breakfast!
Why is this one of my favorite photos of all time???
Natalie got most family photos...tricky job!
Before and after the Rehoboth reunion, we had time with Jake and family, afterwards with more family!
Right when we got back from Rehoboth, Nicole needed surgery to have her tonsils removed and her sinus cavity opened. We babysat Cora and Juliette for 7 days and 7 nights. Luckily the Greens were out of town and they let us take over their house! Cora names these two dolls Jed & Nicole!
The Fenns have been staying in our driveway in the RV....nice to have our builder on site and good friends to hang out with!
We loved having Park City passes to take the ski lifts up and hike. Our favorite path: Tommy two step.
Just barely in the house and we have guests. We love it. Seth, Jake, Nicole and Steve have all come. and Dan comes in Oct.
I have kept most of the toys and dress-up from the kids growing up years. Going to good use for the next generation
Mission Reunion
And a 3rd visit to Natalie's....Tom had to work in the Czech Republic so I took the week to visit Natalie. She took me on this most difficult hike. Took me a week to recuperate.
So that's a brief catch up to Sept 2019. I find that I don't take that many photos anymore. Maybe I have missed something 'big' because of it. But at least I have the gist of the past several months. Tom and I thought this past year has been 'all' Heber....nice to see that we did branch out and enjoy the year after all.
