Murphy turns 2!

This boy is full of energy, needy, funny and chaos wrapped in fur.  He does keep us on our toes and we love him!!

 

She Voted!

 Lily Grace came home to cast her first vote.  She has been so excited about getting to vote and it was important to her to do it in person the very first time.  

We voted early this morning and encountered the nicest poll workers.  The sweet lady confirming her registration made an announcement that she was a first time voter and the whole line cheered for her.  We were also allowed to take a picture of her casting her first vote.  

1st Trip Home

 

Gracie came home for the weekend!  The Murph's smile says it all.  

New Purdue Boilermaker on Campus!

Matt and I just did one of the hardest things I think we will ever do as parents.  We dropped our Lily off at college.  

We packed the car full of belongings and excitement and held our breaths to get it all there, but we made it. 

Purdue did an amazing job of organizing drop off. We spent the entire day getting Gracie unpacked and settled.  

We were so busy in fact that I thought I really had a hold on what would come at the end of the day.  I ABSOLUTELY did not.  It was crushing. 

I've been super blessed to spend every day with Lily Grace over the years. We've only spent about 5 nights apart in these 18 years and let me just say that after hugging her goodbye, I truly felt like I couldn't breathe by the time I got to the car. Matt and I both just sat and cried before we could pull out of the parking garage.  I honestly didn't stop all night.  

It's funny how you can be so proud and so hurt all at the same time.  

Not having that peace when you lay down at night knowing that she's just upstairs will be hard. We do take comfort in knowing that she has two wonderful roommates and they have really hit it off.  

Lily Grace, your daddy and I couldn't be more proud of you.  That big smile and warm heart will certainly be missed around the house each day.  You bring such light to our lives.  You are a hard worker and being admitted as a Sophomore to the Honors College because of all your credits is proof of that.  Purdue is so lucky to have you. 

Don't forget that we are only a phone call away. Plus, dad and I left a piece of our heart there with you.  We love you Gracie!!!!!    

Unbelievable how much stuff Matt and Lily were able to get in this car

Lily's stuff actually filled up two of these large blue rolling bins along with a valet cart.

She still has some decorating to do, but she's all settled in.

We checked in at 9:30 and left about 4 working nonstop the entire time. We were sooo tired.  Matt and I were working off the need to make sure everything was as perfect as it could be for our sweet girl.  Gracie was working off pure excitement.  This was right before we left.  Matt and I knew what was coming and as we snapped this departing pic, I could feel the emotion welling up and reality settling in.  I tried, but the tears spilled as I hugged her goodbye.  She wore her signature big smile.  The same big smile she shared with us that first night back in China.  Pure sunshine this child! 

From Graduation to Vacation- We're off to Europe!

 This year, with Gracie graduating, we gave her an open ticket to celebrate.  Rather than a physical gift, we wanted to celebrate and for her to have wonderful memories to last a lifetime.  

She thought and wavered a few times but finally decided on Europe.  She asked to do a Paris and London split.  So, two days after graduation, we packed up and flew out for a week in Paris and a week in London.  

First up- Paris:

When we arrived in Paris, we knew exactly where we were going first, Little Nonnas.  We ate there three times while in Paris.  With Matt having Celiac disease, pizza is not really something we get to enjoy anymore.  Gluten free pizza just tastes different.  However, I had read about this place and how it's 100% certified gluten free and tastes like the real deal.  You see cross contamination is an issue when eating out as well so being completely gluten free I knew we had to get Matt there.  He enjoyed his first real tasting pizza in years.  The food was so good!!

Right down from our hotel was the Arc de Triomphe.  We could see it right when we walked out our door.  We made the trek up the 286 steps to the very top of the Arc where you could walk all around and take in the views of Paris.  It was amazing!

The views were worth the steps.

With our hotel being at the Arc, that meant we were right at the Champs Elysees where shopping is bountiful.  We visited a lot and returned to some of our favorite stores multiple times.  Especially the first day as we shopped for jackets.  That's right, when our driver picked us up from the airport, he informed us that Paris was having an unusually wet and cool late spring.  Yep! He was right so off we went to secure coats.  Of course Lily and I had no complaints.  While out and about we made a stop at none other than Ladurée for a coffee and macarons.  The best raspberry macaron I have ever had!

It was raining and very humid when we visited the Eiffel Tower but it didn't stop us.  We went all the way to the summit.  I still can't believe that we got Matt to the top.  He wasn't thrilled but he can say he did it.  

After visiting the top we headed back down to the second floor to grab a nice hot tea and pastry in Madam Brasserie.  Walking across the glass floor, you can see the Olympic rings being prepared for hanging.  

Tea in the Eiffel Tower with a view of the Seine River.

We all found the Eiffel Tower underwhelming.  However, we returned in the evening and that is when the beauty shines.  We were there for the lighting of tower at dusk and while it was pretty, we stayed until 11 for the the real show.  Beginning at 11 the tower twinkles each hour on the hour for 5 minutes and it is not to be missed.  Twinkle is an understatement and it's absolutely beautiful.  

Sadly, it's hard to capture the twinkle in the pic because it was like Clark Grizzwald sparkly and it really "twinkled" which was so cool. 

We were all pretty excited to visit the Louvre and it did not disappoint at all.  It was hands down our favorite part of Paris. 

The Mona Lisa by da Vinci

The sheer size of the The Last Supper by da Vinci is breathtaking

I was very excited to see the Venus de Milo and I have to say, I was in awe.  I'm not sure what exactly about it I found so captivating but it was just beautiful in person and I could have sat and stared at it for hours.  

How beautiful this the room?  The pink....

Lily and I were super excited to make our own perfume.  It was so interesting.  It was hosted by Marina a scent expert and it's held in her Paris flat.  I think I was pretty excited to see a true Paris flat and yes, it was adorable.  The class was so fun and Lily and I got to spend a couple of hours making our own unique scent.  We got to bring home a bottle of the scent each of us came up with.  

Maria's flat was on this cute street.  The surrounding neighborhood was adorable with lots of shops.

We visited the Basilica of Sacred Heart of Paris which is in 

Montmartre, the highest point of the city.

Climbing the steps to the top where you got a very large view of the city below.

It was beautiful inside and they had several preserved relics.

I had read about Montmartre and how it was the quintessential Paris neighborhood.  It also had three hidden windmills in the city and one of the most photographed spots in Paris exist here.  On our way to the photography spot, we found the Love wall.

We also found one of the windmills.

Adorable area

This street, at the foot of the Sacré-Coeur basilica on the left, is one of Paris's most photographed. It has retained its yesteryear charm, immersing you into the heart of the old village of Montmartre.

So charming- Montmartre was also home to Vincent Van Gogh.

We got an update pic of the Murph saying that he was doing great.

A must do on Lily's list was to visit the popular Shakespeare and Company book store.  Taking pictures inside isn't allowed but it was all she had hoped it would be and super cute. She walked out with about 5 books I think.

Right across from Notre Dame we ate lunch at this adorable cafe.

This story stuffed crepe was huge and oh so good! I couldn't begin to finish this thing.

This little shop became a favorite of ours and we found them around Paris and even in London.  The gelato is AMAZING.

When you order a scoop, don't expect your average round ball.  Nope, they sculpt it into a flower. 

We made the hour car ride outside the city to the Palace of Versailles.  Now I need to preface this particular visit.  This was on our last full day in Paris.  We had a driver pick us up early so we could get out there by 9.  I typically don't sit in the back of the car and motion sickness is sometimes an issue for me.  Well, the driver preferred it, so all three of us were in the back.  I rode for about 20 minutes as the roads turned quite a bit and we went up and down quite a few hills.  See where this is going??? Anyway,  we'd been riding about 40 minutes and as I sat by the window I kept it to myself that I was feeling very nauseous.  I could see on the drivers dash the GPS said we only had about 10 minutes to go and I thought I could hang on, but that wasn't going to happen.  Over the years, Matt has learned the signal and that when I say the words, we are at that point.  The sweat started on my forehead and without turning my head I simply and quietly said, "Matt, I'm going to be sick."  He starts scrambling and asks the drive to pull over and he has to weave through some traffic to be able to do that and he informs Matt of that.  Needless to say, I didn't have to convey to Matt that I meant now! Luckily he notices a newspaper in the back of the seat pocket, it's all we had.  I carefully and without moving  too much as not to create more motion, pulled the paper and start creating a bowl with it.  And then all hell broke loose.  I was super sick and not just once and the driver has caught on because I dont' know, the smell, the sound of me gagging- take your pick, but he has let those windows down so fast that I can feel the breeze as I am puking and he is getting the car over.  Now I should also share that Lily is in the middle and when the car finally stops (and yes, I am still throwing up) I hear all of this commotion to my left.  Matt informs me later that as soon as he opened the door, Lily is trying to dive over him to get out because she is wearing her "cute clothes" and this is not good.  I am sick people. Matt gets to the other side and God love this man for having a strong stomach because when I finally stop he takes the newspaper and folds it as best he can and then proceeds to wet wipe the little that has gotten on my coat.  Think it ends there? Nope not embarrassing enough yet.  Well once he gets me cleaned and the paper gathered he realizes there is nowhere to throw the newspaper away.  He sounds a little panicked because he has the paper filled with vomit and still a couple miles to go. Of course, he doesn't want the driver to kick us out and me to now have to make this walk.  So, he actually gets in the car and holds this thing near the floor until we can get there and get out.  The driver takes us the rest of the way and right before we get out, Matt is trying to lighten the mood and says out loud, "I told you to lay off the bottle last night."  I am not laughing.  I am about ready to hurt him because I don't want the driver thinking he had to endure that because I'm nursing a hangover.  The driver opens my door and I am apologize profusely. Matt gave the driver a generous tip because have mercy, this poor guy has been through it with us.  Once out I get some water and fresh air and according to Lily my color back. We ended up having a great time at the Palace.  Never a dull moment when we travel. It is now one of our funniest memories. 

Can you believe this place? So opulent and completely over the top

Inside the Palace is the famous Angelina's.  They are best known for their decadent hot chocolate.  We enjoyed a taste during our visit.  

The Hall of Mirrors which most people know the Palace of Versailles for did not disappoint.  It was pretty unbelievable.  

While the Palace was quite the sight, it's the gardens that will blow you away.  They go on forever and the opulence extends all the way out there.  We loved visiting the gardens and had so much fun out there.  

We used our last night to make one more run down the Champs Elysees.  Matt said Lily and I had earned a picture with the sign where we spent so much time.  

Our shopping pack mule

Before boarding the train for London we attended mass at a beautiful church down from our hotel.  Visiting different churches when we travel is one of mine and Matt's favorite things to do.

Swinging in the hotel lobby while we wait for the car to take us to the train station.  We loved our hotel in Pais.  Everyone was amazing and the hotel was very pretty.

We enjoyed our time in Paris.  We made lots of memories.  We've all decided that while we enjoyed Paris, we aren't sure if it's somewhere we would travel back to.  If we were to return, it would likely be to visit the Louvre Museum again.  

After what seemed like a quick 5 days in Paris, we packed up and boarded the Eurostar for London!

Hello London...

First on the list for London was Camden Market.  It was lively and colorful.  It's a big hub for knockoff stuff of which we didn't partake but it's interesting to hear some of the bartering and sales pitches. 

Next we were off to Covent Garden and unlike Camden, it's very big and spreads over several streets.  It too was lively and offered little of everything.  We ventured back here several times and Lily and I LOVED the shopping here.  From high end to Boots (think Walgreens) and everything in between.  We loved it.  

Of course these two found the Apple Store and had to visit.  The Apple stores here are huge.

The lovely gardens in Covent. 

We enjoyed a delicious meal at Jamie Olivers.

And of course, Lily was not missing Book Alley.

The heavily guarded Prime Ministers house.

Big Ben is actually beautiful in person and has a lot of intricate details.

I've never really gotten into the monarchy.  However, I won't lie, I was plum giddy and really into it.  When my feet hit The Mall thinking of all the events that we have seen over the years happen here through our televisions I was all about it.  Not to mention, being a Bridgerton fan it wasn't hard to be smitten with it.

Buckingham Palace and the surrounding grounds were beautiful. 

This is us- the family that showed up early, got a front row fence spot to the Changing of the Guards and waited for two hours along with thousands of other people only to witness nothing more than the guards take a walking break away from their posts.  Yep!  The Changing of the Guards is a big performance of pomp and circumstance.  I was so excited to see it along with the other sea of people.  According to the royal website, it happens each day at 10 am in the month of June, but not this day in June.  Only when a passerby announced that there was a special event the Saturday before that would keep the changing from happening on this day did word spread among everyone and we realized it wasn't going to happen.  We were like what???  Oh well! Maybe next time.  We did meet some very nice people from India who we chatted with while waiting.  Afterwards we purchased two London guards Christmas ornaments.  We figure we will just move them from side to side of the tree so we finally get to see them change.  It became a big joke. Thoughout the day we would hear people in different places, shops complaining about no changing of the guards and how long they had waited.  Ha! We feel ya!

London is simply beautiful.  It really is.  

Lily and I had read about this bakery. It's all over Pinterest and is photographed a lot.  Some say it's the most photographed bakery in Europe.  It is absolutely adorable.  We knew we had to visit and have high tea. We did just that and it definitely did not disappoint.  

Tasted just as good as it looked and the tea- YUM!

We couldn't make the trip to London and not visit Harrods.  It was very over the top.

Would you pay the mere $88,000 being asked for this sofa? 

Our view as we walked over the bridge to and from our hotel.

We visited the National Gallery and it was nice, but we all agreed that after having just visited the Louvre it was hard to see past that standard.

Of course we enjoyed seeing the iconic Vincent van Gogh paintings.

My favorites (maybe Matt's too) the beautiful pointillism paintings by Seurat.  

When I say London is beautiful, it really is.  They even make the construction sites look nice.  This worker is actually watering all the flowers hanging on the privacy fence around the construction site.

Lily and Matt kept making fun of me over my love of Bridgerton. Lily say this taxi with the Bridgerton sign and she said I had to pose.

We visited Hyde Park and it was better than most of the Botanical Gardens you would pay to visit.  The green space in London is amazing.

Made me think of my Honey who loves roses.

On my list was to have High Tea at none other than Fortnum and Mason and bring home a a tea set.  It was unbelievable!!!  I was like a kid in a candy store.  It's so much more than tea and everything was gorgeous.  

Matt surprised me and told me to pick a set.  Whichever I wanted.  I knew which one I would get.  I wanted the iconic Fortnum and Mason traditional striped everyday tea set.  I didn't sway and while the fancy sets were beautiful, I just really had my heart set on this one so I stuck with it.  We had a teapot and 4 cups along with some beautiful tea towels shipped home.  Funny- we have yet to receive the teapot.  We keep getting sent the cups.  Hilarious! Of course! Fortum and Mason have assured us that the third time is a charm and we should have that teapot in the next few days.  

The full experience, right down to the doorman in a proper top hat. 

West Minister Abby was a fun visit.  

I was super excited to enter this part of Westminster Abby.  It's where you see the Royals and boys choir when there is a special ceremony on tv and seeing it in person was really fun.  This church is filled with statues, crypts amazing stain glass and so much history. 

We got to visit the second floor to visit some of the Queen's Jubilee treasures.

This portrait of the Queen was stunning! It was painted in honor of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

The Coronation Chair in Westminster Abby that was last used for King Charles.

The gardens outside the Abby are very peaceful and pretty.

The Parliament House is just amazing.  

Sculptures make up a large part of London.

Loved the horse patrol up near Trafalgar Square.  They even have their own marked lane just for them.

Trafalgar Square

With Phantom of the Opera coming to an end, we knew we had to see it while we were in London.  We visited His Majesty's Theatre and let me say it did not disappoint.  Matt and I have seen Phantom of the Opera at the Orpheum in Memphis, but this was next level.  Lily loved it.  Ironically, we heard some students chatting behind us.  Lily struck up a conversation and low and behold they were on a trip through Purdue University.  How's that for small world?

As we exited the theatre with the large crowd of people it had started to rain.  Hailing a taxi was near impossible as everyone was trying to do the same.  We had seen these rickshaws at Covent Garden and while Lily and I thought they looked fun with their lights flashing, music blaring, Matt swore he wouldn't get in one.  Well as luck would have it, as we exited the theatre we walked right into one.  You can imagine mine and Lily's surprise when we hear, "get in."  Matt said it was better than standing in the rain.  The driver was all to eager to have us.  Matt told him to drive us to a taxi.  Now it was raining, we are riding in this pink glowing carriage being pulled by a bike with pink neon lights and shag carpet flapping in the wind right in the middle of London traffic late at night.  We also have an umbrella open and aimed in front to try and block some of the pelting rain blowing back on us. We could reach out and touch the cars.  Lily has a hilarious video of this ride.  As promised, the driver drops us off at hub of taxis.  We exit the rickshaw and we hear Matt exclaim, what?  Apparently his attention has just been brought to the sign that he obviously didn't care about when he was getting wet.  The sign read, 10 pounds per person per minute.  You guessed it! That's 30 pounds per minute.  It took three minutes for him to find us a taxi and the cost was around $100 U.S. dollars.  Matt's face of surprise was hilarious!  Lily and I stood off to the side laughing.  Once in the taxi and he confirmed what we thought we heard, we all had a good laugh.  For the guy who swore he would'n't get in one of those, he just paid a hefty price for a 3 minute ride.  According to Matt it was totally worth it to get out of the crowd and rain.  I'm telling you, hilarious is not a strong enough word.  It is one of our best memories and made for the most fun  and the best way to end our last night in London.  

We ended our European vacation by going out in pink lights and a shag carpet ceiling in London.  I can't think of a more memorable way!  Soooo much fun!  

We absolutely loved London.  There is still so much to see and do and places to visit off the beaten path.  We all agreed, London was a lot of fun!!!!!!! Thank you London!  We can't wait to go back!!!

After all the fun, we boarded the long flight to return home.  As we got closer to boarding, I noticed I wasn't feeling quite myself and a few hours into the flight, the chills I was having made it quite clear that I wasn't.  By the time we got home, showered and in bed around 1:15 am, Matt and I both felt really bad.  The next morning he and I woke with a really bad case of Covid.  Lily managed to escape anything and I have to say for a few days, it felt like the vacation that would not end.  But it's all good, just another memory to laugh about later on when we talk about this trip.  

It truly was an amazing two weeks and we are very blessed to have been able to do it.  There were rough patches of course, you get annoyed with one another and your feet hurt from nonstop walking , but the good always outweighs the bad and I wouldn't trade a second.