Okay, by popular demand, here is the pic of Maaret and I trying to make it look like we are kissing the guard outside the Jewel House ... it was the closest I've come to kissing Maaret on the lips - WOWSIE! ;) It was sure funny! Lesa, the photographer, said the reason it's blurry is because she couldn't stop laughing! Poor Maaret can't even pucker up! Frankly speaking, it felt like we were a whole lot closer! xxxxxxx
Lesa Tour '07
My good friend for many years, Lesa Humphries, came to visit merry 'ole England for a few days and my friend, Maaret, came with. 
Woo Hoo! Yes, it is true that I have been to
Stonehenge, Bath and London on many occasions, but they are such fun and wonderful places that it's still fun to go back! 
Because of the numerous times I've been to these places, it was time I became a little creative in my picture taking! Funny times! The bird perch was fun (thanks to Maaret) and of course, the big boogie (again, Maaret) but my favorite has to be the 'fingers walking up the burial mound'. For some reason, it makes me smile :).
Bath, one of my favorite places! It's so "Jane Austen" ... the Bath AbbeyAfter Stonehenge, we traveled to is fabulous - confession: I
accidentally went in the wrong door and toured the Abbey for free ... ah, the guilt! ;)
Once done with that, it was time for a bit of lunch, so we went to the Pump Room (right by the Roman Baths) and had 'afternoon tea' ... very English! Little sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and strawberries and other little desserts. Yummy! Even though I don't care for strawberries much, I had to take a picture of myself to prove to my
family that I did partake! ;) The hot chocolate I had was nummy, too - it had a nice flavor to it, in case you wanted to have some the next time you are at the Pump Room!
We went on a double-decker bus tour around Bath -
lots of interesting information! Lesa got a kick out of being on the bus - how often does one get to partake of a double-decker bus! ;)
On to London-town we went, and
(after much
enjoyment driving
around parts of London you don't want to go) we started our tour of London by going to King's Cross Station (2 words ... Harry Potter). It was fun to pretend we were running into the wall!
Next stop ... The Tower of London! This is one of
my favorite historical places! Begun in the reign of William the
Conqueror (1066-87), the White Tower marks the start of the Tower of London's history as both a palace and a fortress. I am always fascinated by Traitor's Gate - the watery entrance for many famous prisoners. Another favorite story from the Tower is about the
"two princes". It is said that in the mid-16th century, two princes,
12-year old Edward and his younger brother Richard (sons of King Edward IV) had been lodged in the Tower following their father's death in 1483. Their uncle, Richard Duke of Gloucester, was crowned instead of Edward or Richard. It is believed the Duke had the princes killed so he could reign instead. Oddly enough, the skeletons of two children were found buried close to the White
Tower in 1674, which gives evidence to support the story.
Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster
Abbey, Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square were the final stops on our tour to London. It was so fun to see Lesa again ... just like old
times! Thanks to Maaret for coming along with us to make this a memorable time! ;)
Year of the Pig
Happy New Year! On Feburary 18th, the fam and I had the opportunity to go to London's Chinese New Year's Parade and celebration! I was granted the opportunity to be "tour guide Krissy" for a bus load of 49 people. Our good friends, the Campbells (Josh and Ang) were also playing tour guide. The day started early - had to be at the pick-up point
at 7:30am! after getting everyone situated on the bus (there were 5 that went), we enjoyed our 1 1/2
hour drive to the Chinese district of London-town.
We watched the parade (which unfortunately only lasted like 15 minutes) and then went to a Japanese restaurant (we've been there before) for lunch.
After enjoying the sights and sometimes the smells of Chinatown, we went to a London production ... Lion King? Nope, sold out ... Mary Poppins? Na ah, sold out ... the Sound of Music? Nada, sold out ... the Blue Man Group? Unfortunately, also sold out ... Stomp? YES! Stomp it was, and the kids really liked it! Especially Austin, who ended up falling asleep (it was a long day by then, poor little
buddy) Stomp is a musical extravaganza which is performed
with only household or ordinary "instruments"; i.e., trash cans, match boxes, the kitchen sink.
Pizza was the food of choice for supper and then, it was back on the bus for the ride home! Another fun and eventful day was had by all! Happy New Year to all! (oh, and sorry to all of those police officers ... year of the pig and all)
Little Schnitzel 
Well, we have over 100
pictures of Gabby, and it's about time I put more on
the blogspot! WOO HOO! She's a good girl ;)
Snow Daze ...
Today (Feb. 8) it finally snowed! The kids have been waiting all winter for this day to arrive - we had a light dusting a week or so ago, but nothing substantial.
Austin only had a half-day of school, seeing as people over here don't know how to drive in it! ;) Good times were had by all (Jacob, Melissa, Gabby, Ashley and myself) walking home from picking Austin up - and of course, snowball fight! I believe Ashley got the worst of it! ;) Austin's hands were freezing by the time we arrived home - no gloves, you know! Once home, work on the 'snowchick' began ... and the result is AWESOME! Or am I the only one that thinks
that? hmmmm ... ;)
