Norway through my Lens

I loved the decorated mailboxes

I thought this playground was adorable- but I shouldn't post it, it might give my mother more ideas for her grandbaby.


Lots of the tress were covered in fruit or berries. Yum!




They are all ready for Christmas

How would you like one of these suites for back to school shopping. Pink for the girls and blue for the boys.




Guess he wasn't supposed to park here...


In each back yard was one of these:
I was amazed at how jumping on it, brought you right back to being a kid again.

Imagine being a kid and trying to spell this, when asked to spell your street name

Ice with your drink = sooooo good!

life check list #63: Stand in two places at once. Check. Standing on the border between Sweeden and Norway.

These +

This. =

This!

I tried to kiss this little guy but he hopped away before I could see if he was secretly my prince

I loved this waterfall- It was huge!


I made it to the top



You think he's all cute don't you...

Don't be fooled he turns me into this!

The last shot of the fijord before leaving.

Sweet Flight

Today I had a 40 minute flight from Zurich, Switzerland to Paris, France. In that forty minutes I was served a snack with a drink. I know, right?! In the U.S. you can fly across all the continental states and not be served a thing, without first needing to pulling out your wallet. If you are lucky a glass of water will be offered to prevent your parched thirst.

If you have had this experience then you too can imagine my surprise when first I was being offered a snack, but even more amazingly was handed this…



Oh yes! That is a picture of some very delicious strawberry ICE CREAM! I mean seriously, was I just served Ice Cream on a plane? I was in heaven! Floating above the clouds watching the sky and eating Ice Cream!

As I was finishing the best snack ever offered on a flight, another flight attendant came around and offered this…



Oh Yes! Chocolate and Thanking ME!

No no no… Thank you Swiss Airlines, Thank you!

Happy Birthday Nicole

It's seems as though I have missed another one... I always seem to be M.I.A. on this day. But for you today my friend, I have a list of things I miss doing with you!

- Learning to play the flute in Junior High
- Football games and going to Prom.
- Visiting you at Cinema star and going to the movies for free
- Going off to two separate colleges but through the experience it is what made our friends even stronger. It was nice having you as the only one from home who could understand.
- I helped rescue you at Margarita Rocks (and Denny's) and you are what kept me sane in Margarita Ville.
- You sending me care packages when I lived in D.C.
- The way that you are easily embarrassed and not afraid of who you are.
- How nervous you get- and the way your react.
- Your high expectations of life and the care you put into everything you do.
- Having you yell at the tickets lady for sneaking in food and drinks into the theatres.
- Watching you get pushed into the water at the beach and storm off- I thought you would never talk to us again. haha
- Our first real jobs and meeting down the street for lunch.
- Catching the bouquet at your wedding.

It's amazing how much has happened over the years, and that no matter how far apart, I treasure our friendship that only seems to grow stronger with time. You have so much strength, Courage, and love within you, I am sorry I am not there to celebrate...

Emergency Flight Information

"There are 5 exits aboard this plane: 2 at the front, 2 over the wings, and one out the plane's rear end. If you're seated in one of the exit rows, please do not store your bags by your feet. That would be a really bad idea- we would hate for the bags to make it out before the people do- though I am sure you value your louis vuitton more than the passenger next to you. In the event of a loss of cabin pressure- (because we are nose diving to the ground) these yellow baggy things will drop down over your head. Please be sure to secure yours before helping other passengers. We would hate for you to be the last one in style with this must have accessory.”



Generally, when the the flight attendants are doing their spiel I am sleeping. Once in air I don’t get much sleep so I use the boarding though take off time to catch up on some much needed zzzz’s after spending tedious long layovers between flights. However- I think that rather than trying to make the emergency speech more interesting, or pleasing to those like me who are not even pretending to be paying attention, there is more useful information to be given. Not to mention that, in the case of an actual emergency, all passengers will freak out and be in a massive state of panic and more than likely not be referencing the third column in the emergency pamphlet, they will just cry and scream.

So I give you my version of: Emergency Flight Information:

In front of your seat there is a Brown Paper bag. A.K.A The barf bag. In the event that you need to use the barf bag please do so- that is what it is there for. However, if you are continuing to be sick, please do not remain in your seat but proceed to the restrooms where being sick is a bit more appropriate and less likely to make all other passengers need their brown paper bag too.

During episodes of turbulence the seat belt sign will come on. Please remain seated. This rule is better translated to mean: During the time that I am pushing the food cart, mobile drink bar, or the on-flight duty free shop, stay out of the aisle and out of my way. This cart is the width of the aisle- so no Mr. six feet tall, you cannot just squeeze right by as I am pouring hot coffee and tea to the other passengers- not to mentioned I just passed your seat 15 seconds ago when you could have freely moved about the plane without any hinderance. So please sit down and wait until I am completed serving this aisle. Or here is a genius idea, walk in the other direction, there are several lavatories on the plane.



And yes we would like you to stay seated during turbulence as well, but not so you don’t get injured but to keep you from running through the aisles in a state of panic. Think of this more as a restraining belt during this time.

If you are fortunate enough to have a window seat- then you have been provided with a complementary head rest for the flight. However- if you are in the center seat or aisle we do apologize but your neighbor is not to be your free head rest unless this person is a family, friend or relative. You just met this person and I am sure they would not appreciate you sleeping on their shoulder for the next 4-8 hours depending on the length of the flight.



Also please keep your feet down- no one wants to findout the last time you had a pedicure.



Your child is cute and adorable. I am sure the passenger who is sitting behind your child, loves having cute Little Suzie look back and smile and make little cute funny faces. But I am positive that the man sitting in front of your child, would like to thrown Little Suzie out of the emergency exit. Suzie may only be two feet tall but planes only have one foot of leg room, making little Suzie the perfect height to kick the seat in front of her. For Little Suzie maybe you can tie the seat belt around her legs a few times as a nice way to assist her legs in remaining still. Oh and please hold the throwing of goldfish.



To Mr. and Mrs- I am bringing all of my luggage as a carry-on. Please do not in attempts to take up an entire overhead compartment remove someone else’s smaller bag to make more space for yours without asking first. After removing their bag please do not then place their bag in another compartment- they will be very confused when the plane lands, and unable to find their belongings. Now, because we have ask you to not remove another’s bag- does not mean we are giving you the permission to smash their stuff to make room for yours. Next time – please check your bag and pay the $25.00 like everyone else.



Please enjoy the on-flight music provided or feel free to listen to your iPod or other musical devices. However please remember than not all people have the same love of your voice as you do. You may be listening to Boy George or SugarRay’s “I just want to fly” but all the rest of the plane can hear, is you.

P.D.A. Save it for after the flight.



After we land we will ask that you remain seated until the seat belt sign is turned off. Please realize that when the seatbelt sign goes off this is not the same as when a gun is shot to commence the start of a race. The door to the plane has not even been opened and you sitting in row 63 will not be able to get out until rows 1-62 leave. So please let’s not try and fit every passenger on the plane in the aisle once the seat belt sign is turned off.



I hope you enjoy the rest of your flight. So please sit back (except for during the meal time) and enjoy the rest of your flight being mindful of all those sitting around you.

No way Norway

It’s raining it’s pouring- and I don’t know what to wear in the morning.
I looked at the weather before I packed—but I look outside and see it is actually storming.

My bag is stuffed with sunblock, tank tops, and flip flops,
But what I really need are jackets, scarves, and hats to keep my hair from looking like a wet mop.

I thought Norway would be an escape to more warm weather in the land of the never setting sun,
Alas the only way to get warm is to go for a run.

Sitting here I am now wet and cold,
I will end up leaving with clothes filled with mold.

I have learned the lesson I will always pack an umbrella
Because weather in Europe is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you will getta.
(sorry I needed it to rhyme)

But have no fear, it won’t keep me from having fun and exploring
All the wet weather brings more chances for me to stumble upon disaster and good stories to report to you in the morning.

Shabbat

Being in Israel especially Jerusalem you were able to witness and be apart of many very religious rituals. While walking the streets five times a day you would hear the Muslims call to prayer echoing throughout the city and villages. Both Jewish and Muslim women were covered just in different attire. And little boys and men daily wore the kippa, some wore robes that would have tassels on their sides to remind them to pray. For the most part you would notice and pass the religious observances but the Shabbat even if you didn’t practice it would somehow affect your day.

Shabbat is the Jewish observation of the Sabbath. Now in the U.S. other than in churches talking about needing to take a day of rest- nothing was really affected and we even can get into grocery stores on the most holy of days like Christmas and Easter if need be. Here in France everything closes down on Sundays. If you need anything be sure to pick it up on Saturday because you will be tough out of luck on a Sunday and this and grossly thrown me off track many weeks.

In Israel and in all Jewish societies Shabbat is observed starting on the evening of Friday (today) and then through Saturday, giving one full day of rest. Now if only all the stores would be closed it may be a bother but you get over it and move on with your day. However- in my case it seemed like the first night of Shabbat was never ending. Probably because I didn’t realize the observance had started- and was confused why everything was turning out to be so strange.

After a long day of work many of us returned to the hotel wanting to go for a refreshing swim. We hurried up to our rooms changed our into our bathing suites. We jumped into the pool only to be pulled out five minutes later. The pool was being closed in observation of the Shabbat. Except they didn’t say it was because of Shabbat they said it was closing- thus I still didn’t catch on what was happening. Our group then decides we should once again change and just head down to dinner.
At dinner there is no hot food. There are loads of delicious salads but to use a stove would be considered work and in strict violation of practicing Shabbat. Now in my mind- yes a stove is hard work, but many of these yummy salads required quite a bit of chopping and I am sure that if they are not allowed to swim that extreme chopping also should but on the no, no list.

After dinner the girls and I started to get a little goofy- as I said it had been a long day. At this hotel there were four elevators. We walked into the first one with an open door. Elizabeth goes to push the button for floor four but all of the buttons are blacked out. Confused she keeps trying to push the buttons and then the door begins beeping. The two other girls and I start freaking out saying, “Oh my goodness, what is going on here? Our elevator is going to break. We need to get off, or we are going to get stuck.” Right as the doors close a cute little Jewish boy comes running through the doors.

The elevator takes us not up, but down, one floor. Okaaaaay we think, then the beeping restarts, the doors are closing and I begin laughing hysterically so confused on what is actually going on. Once again we go down one level. Doors open, we all are cracking up laughing and the little Jewish boy I am sure is thinking we are all crazy. Doors beep, doors close and the elevator suddenly shoots us up to the 11th floor! Whoa! How did we go from the basement to the very top of the hotel? And the 11th floor is being renovated so it basically looks like a bomb went off upstairs and only freaks us out more.

We realize that it’s Shabbat and you cannot push buttons during Shabbat. Thus the elevator is going to all of the floors. We are on floor 11 needing to get to floor four.

Door beeps. Door closes. Door opens on floor 9. We realize that the elevator we are on is only going to the odd number floors. Too bad we realized this at floor number 3. So we jump out of our elevator in hopes to join the even floor Shabbat elevator. But we are on an odd number floor? How is this going to work? Standing there contemplating and laughing, we realize that two of the elevators are for Shabbat and then there are another two elevators for those who are not following Shabbat and will push buttons on Fridays and Saturdays.

It took us 10 minutes to figure out the elevator situation and get to the fourth floor. The best part was when we stepped out to the fourth floor the little Jewish boy who switched tracks and left us at floor seven was standing there with his family. I won’t tell that I know he skipped the elevator and used the stairs because I am pretty sure that is forbidden as well. Nevertheless, we survived the Shabbat elevator experience.

In the end there was a small posting on the elevator outside the doors letting the user know what elevators were used for Shabbat. If you are ever in a place that is respecting the Jewish Shabbat I highly recommend you look for these signs first.

Yummy delights from Israel

I am continually amazed that each place in the world has come up with new and creative ways to combine spices and ingredients that make the most wonderful meals. The Middle East is no different and their food there was surprisingly irresistible. Other than Pita and Hummus I was not sure what I would be served, but if I was only going to eat Pita and Hummus for almost three weeks I was perfectly happy. So for your enjoyment I have some delicious new finds for you.



For breakfast in the morning they tend to like a more salty breakfast than generally found in the states and would eat cheeses, veggies, and this thick spread called labneh. I was told that you cannot have breakfast in a home in Israel without having labneh. One thing I learned is they love their yougurt here. There was yougurt served at breakfast, lunch and dinner and labneh is essentially a thicker version of yougurt, almost like Greek yougurt.



Sadly in our hotels the coffee was VERY hit or miss. I can honestly say I had some of the worst cup of coffee ever made while in Israel- but other times it was quite nice. I even came to enjoy a few cups of Arabic coffee which is the first time I have ever finished a cup of plain espresso. My favorite though was at this placed called Aroma. Aroma is like an Arabic starbucks but… Better (gasp*) I cannot explain why – other than you would have to experience it all on your own.



Lunch was the biggest meal of the day- though to me it seemed very similar to dinner. Once the outreach started we had schwarma everyday with either falafel or carved meat.



One day we had grape leaves and stuffed zucchini and squash called Kousa. Both were stuffed with a rice and hamburger meat mixture.



This was a very beautiful and tasty appetizer plate. I am sorry I cannot remember the names of all the little appetizers- but I assure you they were all quite good.



My favorite meal though by far was this. Sadly I do not know the name of it but it was wonderful. It was a mixture of Chicken, onions, and mushrooms stir fried together and served on this baked bread. I was sad I only found this one time- but that one time was worth every bite.



Desserts! The most common dessert was baklava. In Turkey the baklava was usually fully saturated in honey. I really liked the baklava in Israel because it wasn't quite as sweet and was stuffed with pistachios.



However- the baklava was nothing compared to this amazing new find. This dessert was like nothing I have ever tasted before. The dessert is called Knafa and if you are ever in a Middle Eastern restaurant this is a must have. Served warm the outside shell is a crispy crunchy perfection and the inside in filled with a delicious mild cheese and somewhere in between the shell and filling is this amazing sweetness. It’s actually oozing out of the crispy shell so a fork is recommended, cause the stickier the better. My oh My this was my favorite. I wish I could have you taste through my blog- but all I can leave you with is this picture and an assurance that it is fabulous!

What's the weather like?

The following is a conversation I had with my new friend Rama, I thought her perception and understanding was hilarious and had to share. Thanks Hollywood.

Rama: "Where are you from?"

Me: "California."

Rama: "What's the weather like there?"

Me: "Actually very similar to here, except not quite as hot."

Rama: "Really?" (looking quite confused)

Me: "yah."

Rama: "So the weather doesn't just continually change instantly all the time?"

Me: "No... Why?"

Rama: "Cause on all the movies it will be sunny and then suddenly start raining out of no where, so I thought that was how the weather was all the time in California."

Learning bits of Israel

Prior to coming to Israel I knew very few things but here is what I knew:

1. It was God’s chosen land.
2. Jesus lived and did ministry in Israel.
3. People are at war often.
4. It was supposed to be hot.

Getting off the plane in Tel Aviv I had no idea what to expect out of my time in Israel. I was going to be working with people whom I had never met and being staying in places still not yet confirmed. But I knew one thing- this was a once in a life time opportunity. After grabbing my luggage there was a taxi man holding a sign scripted with my name- our destination was Nazareth a two hour car ride from the airport.

Pulling away from the airport my eyes were bright with excitement. Many of the views we passed reminded me of home in Southern California, lots of palm trees and dry hills brought me visions of the hills that run through Camp Pendleton. The skies were clear and the weather was 95 degrees- perfect hot weather an escape from the many rainy months I have spent in France.

As we headed down the highway the driver would often point out areas where large boarders had been placed to mark the territory difference between Israel and Palestine. I was told the boarders are created to keep the Palestinians out and from bombing the roads, it is for the protection of the people and land. Later I was informed that Israel and Palestine are divided into three zones: A, B, and C.

A: The Palestinian (Arab) territory. The Government, boarders and community are run by the Arabs.

B: Roads and land shared between the territories of Israeli and Palestine. The Roads are then governed and monitored by the Israeli’s while the community is presided over by the Arabs.

C: The Israeli territory where all land and people are governed by the Israelis.

Throughout my time in Israel there would be many times when it would be necessary to go through check points where it was normal for a man with a machine gun to approach your vehicle and inspect your car and question your reasons for being in the country. It seems so abnormal for this to be a normal process.

Throughout my time in Israel, I had many conversations with different people on their perspective on the feuds that have continued for so many generations, and each person came to me with a different perspective. Some Arabs living in Israel still strongly identify with their Palestinian roots, while others believe that because they live in Israel, that they are Israeli, and therefore support the Israeli government.

I was speaking to one girl who was an Arab who finds it difficult to understand why God was allowing her people to suffer. The only comfort she said she is able to find in not understanding is from scripture where it talks about not knowing the plans of the Lord but through trials and hardships He will be glorified and work to the good of those who follow Him.

The most interesting person I spoke with on this topic was with a young guy named Dima. Dima was born in Uzbekistan and fled to Israel when the Berlin wall fell. He is Jewish and was thus required to join the Israeli army for three years. Dima was dispatched from the army one month ago and is now trying to figure out what the next step in life holds for him. In the army he was a tracker and had many interesting stories to share from his time in the service. Dima dreams of being a doctor but the wages of being a doctor in Israel are initially equivalent to working minimum wage until about the age of 40. This does not appeal to him, though being a doctor has been his dream since he was a young child. He has thought about going to the U.S. for schooling but has too much pride and love for Israel that he could not possibly leave the country, it would hurt him too much to do so.

After speaking to both Dima and Arab girl I saw many similarities between the two and found it so sad that neither person would ever recognize the pain they both share. Truth be told (by an outsider), unless you are in a strict religious area you cannot really tell the difference between the Jews and the Arabs. To me they looked the same. I often hung out in the evening at a coffee shop called Aroma, where you would often find a mix between Arabs and Jews. One night a group of about 15 people went to Aroma and each person told the guy at the counter Shukran (thank you in Arabic) while collecting their order. The guy remembered me from the night before and said, “they all tell me Shukran but I am not Arabic.” Inside I laughed because he really looked no different than his Arabic co-workers so how was a person to know the difference? But responded to him with a smile and said, “Toda” (thank you in Hebrew).

Before leaving for Paris I had a brief conversation with someone who works in Congress and he told me that if I always wanted to have work to do, then to work on “Peace in the Middle East.” He followed that by saying that the problems would always exist and that I should set a time limit no longer than 5 years and then continue working on something else. When I was older I could return to working with the Middle East and use those skills I gained, along with the knowledge I had previously acquired to work once again on “Peace in the Middle East.” I don’t think I fully understood him at the time, and I am sure my understanding is still on a surface level. But I do believe he was correct- there are so many intricacies to uncover before you can even begin to identify where the real root of these issues lie. That these problems go deeper than Land, they go deeper than religion, they go to thousands of years of unrest and until you can uncover thousands of years of issues you cannot begin to resolve the issue of the day.

My perspective on understanding anything of Israel is minute, and I am no scholar to be cited as a source of information- but these are my perspectives and insights gathered in the short time I was lucky enough to spend there. What I do know, is that I love both the Jews and the Arabs and that God does have a plan for these people and their land, and that I have much to learn and uncover from those who live in this region of the world.

I'm Alive!

I'm Alive! After 17 days in the wonderful land of Israel I have returned to Paris. While in Israel I had access to the internet, two out of the 17 days- neither of which allowed for a lot of time on the world wide web. But alas, I have returned to my apartment, have over 70 facebook updates, and 9 are you missing? Are you okay? emails from my mother.

One new and exciting addition that has taken place in my absence, is the transformation of my blog. For my beautiful new header I must thank Mrs. Kimberly. I was very excited to return and see that while I was away it had been posted. She did such a great job- I love it greatly! She worked very hard to help me make this adorable header and I am in love with her creation. You should check out her page here.

After almost three weeks of hot hot hot weather (between 95-100 degree’s daily), and crystal blue skys that reminded me of home, it was only befitting that Paris welcomed me back with it pouring rain. Ah it’s good to be back.

I’ll write more fun stories later. I just wanted to check in before I crashed for the night and got stuck under my enormous pile of laundry that may take me three weeks to get clean once again.

engine check, breaks check, wings check

In 15 minutes I am leaving for the airport. The same airport that has had two plane crashes in the last month. I know that sounds horrible- but that's because it is.
I am already usually a little nervous flying - but these facts and figures are not helping me today.

Deep breaths.

Girl Trip day Three

It’s the last and final day of the girls and I being in London. London is fabulous I feel as though I am actually in the U.S. someplace, maybe on the east coast somewhere in a mix between Boston and New York. It’s strange to hear English as the common language, be able to read sign postings, and see T.G.I.Fridays as an option for a restaurant. Anyways I digress because today is the DAY! It’s B-Day! Britney! Britney! Britney! Me and the ladies couldn’t be any more excited. But before the big event there are still some sights to see in good ol’ London. Let’s go!

It's raining it's pouring, the girls are out touring.



Our first stop "London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down" or as Fergie would say, "How come every time you come around my London London bridge wanna go down like London London wanna go down."





Regardless what song gets stuck in your head as you walk acorss this bridge- you quickly realize this bridge is nothing to really sing about. It's quite famous- but quite plain, basically the bridge is a bunch of cement blocks. Especially when compared to the next bridge down that is adorned is life and decor. The Tower Bridge is beautiful and the one that people should be singing songs about.





After checking out the London Bridge and the Tower Bridge we headed to probably my favoirte site in London- The London Tower. This place was super cool- It felt like you were walking in history and in a distinguished place. The London tower held many purposes- the first being a royal palace, Oh la la. It also served the purpose of being a fortress of protection, watching for those who were preparing to attach Britian. Many of the walls in the Tower of London range between 11-15 feet thick. The London Tower is also where they kept prisioners who were commiting treason against the King. And last but not least, this is where people would be tourtured or even more grotesque, beheaded. "OFF WITH THEIR HEAD!"

This first picture is of the outside of the London tower. On the walls you can see small slits that look like crosses- those were the only holes that would provide light to the prisoners held within the walls. In this fortress there are a total of twenty towers each served a different purpose and hold fascinating stories.



This is the entrance to the the Towers, at the top of these arches are metal spikes that weigh one ton and would be released to capture intruders or others trying to escape. We had to run through quickly so they wouldn't capture us cause they know was can get a bit crazy.



If you go to the Tower of London you have to take a tour by a Beefeater. This is the best tour I have ever been on. It was funny, fast paced and every informative. Our guide had our group laughing through the entire hour tour.

Most people who were beheaded were done outside the tower walls where all of the public could come and see. But beheaded royalty were finished off here.



The coolest and prettiest place to see in the London Tower lies behind these walls. Inside are kept all the royal jewels, crowns, and diamonds!!! This is why the ladies come and see the Tower of London.





After checking out the history of London it was time for an ancient feast of British Pie! This meal totally hit the spot. Warm, filling, and delicious- what more could you ask for.



After a day of walking around in the rain and taking in a ton of history we are pretty wiped out. But it's time for our next adventure so we grabed a coffee and got on the train and enjoyed the relaxing ride. ahhhh



Our next stop... The Circus Baby!





After playing around in the entrance way of the circus we headed inside where the show was about to start. We took our seats and watched the opening circus act.







And then prepared for the Main event!



As Perez came on- we knew Brit was next rose to our feets and prepared to have the night of all nights and ready to have to all out fun.



These two beautiful people were our seat/dance partners for the Britney concert. They were so much fun and might have loved the show even more than me- and I am not sure if that is actually possible. My favorite thing about this picture is litterally one second before the shot was taken they were dancing like crazy and some how they were able to perfectly pose themselves for this shot. And then immediatly went back to crazy dance mode.



We danced, danced, danced and sang our way through the entire 90 minute Britey show loving every minute. Once the show was over we had to head back to the hostel to pack because we needed to leave at 4:00 a.m. to catch our plane back to Paris.

We landed in Paris and headed straight to the Seine to end our trip on a sunny, relaxing note. Ahh Paris how we love you.



Thanks girls to the best trip to London a gril could ask for. I am so glad you were able to come I had so much fun. We'll have to do it again sometime. Love you!