thelifeandtimesof... » Travel

As Promised

Julie — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:13:41 +0000

One month ago we took a 3 day family trip to NYC and I have captured our time on a short video set to music. I like to create videos chronologically so they at least tell a realistic story of our adventure. It was an unforgettably magical time. By the way, sorry that there is very little footage of me (not that you were wanting that). I was always videoing. And when you view it, imagine our son humming. He loves to hum that tune. Especially the high notes.

Direct Link

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/7406312[/vimeo]

A Heart in New York

Julie — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:12:42 +0000

New York
To that tall skyline I come
Flying in from London to your door
New York
Looking down on Central Park…..

For the last week our house has been humming this tune by Simon and Garfunkel in great anticipation of our weekend trip to The Big Apple. Brad and I have been three times, but this Friday will mark the first time our children will get to experience this city and I am overjoyed. Some may say I am crazy for taking young children to this place, but I can hardly wait to show our kids what has become our favorite city in the world. Sure, Brad and I will have to have an extra dose of patience and I know there will be moments of whining about tired feet and the threat of rain, but I have learned through their short lives that world travel does indeed shape who they are, their worldview, and oftentimes their personal preferences. This hit home to me as I was admiring the beautiful hills and large unattached homes on the spacious Texas land a few weeks ago to the daughter, and she exclaimed that she preferred when all of the homes were stuck together in a row straight down a street. Much like her time in Europe. I was simply shocked.

The kids love tall buildings, crowded streets, and underground transportation and as they are getting older (7 & 4) I thought we would throw a little map reading into the fun. In fact, we have been studying maps in our “school time” (we are home schooling the kids while we are in the US). They will each have their own little kid friendly laminated home-made map with all of their favorite places to visit. And if you ever take your kids to visit, may I recommend Kathy Jakobsen’s My New York kid book? It is amazing and can get anyone giddy with her illustrations.

Soon we will post photos and of course I’ll be working on a video. The daughter is most looking forward to visiting Chinatown. Cringe. The jury is out…will she end up liking it? What is Brad’s least favorite area of NYC? You guessed it, Chinatown. Should be quite humorous.

New York
Like a scene from all those movies
But you’re real enough to me
But there’s a heart
A heart that lives in New York

Plastic dinosaurs + Erasure song = Kitsch

Julie — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:42:59 +0000

Enjoying the most amazing weather over the weekend, we took a little drive one hour northwest of here to the National Showcaves Centre for Wales. Caves, a dinosaur park, and little farm were experienced on and in a mountain and enjoyed especially by the small dinosaur lover in our family. I was quite amused by the monochrome plastic of it all and thought that this video was begging for some Erasure music. As lifelong fans of Erasure, we hope you enjoy the “cheesiness” of our outing.

-julie

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/4969057[/vimeo]

A Forest…

Julie — Mon, 25 May 2009 13:05:26 +0000

“A forest can be an enchanting thing.
As you will see in the Forest of Dean.”

Tolkien apparently spent some time in this forest which resulted in inspiration for Lord of the Rings. (My sincerest apologies for the shakiness. I have yet to realize that walking + videoing + little camera = shakiness.)

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/4825897[/vimeo]

More From Chester

Julie — Mon, 18 May 2009 21:03:27 +0000

I am putting up another little video about going to Chester, England. Nothing too fancy, but I thought you would enjoy the yellow fields of rapeseed (made into vegetable oil here), the unique Tudor buildings of Chester, England, and hearing a cute little description of eating a cupcake by the boy.

It may be asked what has gotten into me going from no posted videos in 3 years to 2 in a week? The Flip Mino HD is what. A new little video camera the size of a small camera that can conveniently fit into a small handbag and go everywhere. Yes, I might struggle with choppiness as it is hard to keep my hand still, but the ability to take that thing anywhere is what is appealing. And the editing is even easier! I have had so many moments in recent years that I wished I would have my video camera with me on a day to day basis and could pull it out without making a fuss or embarrassing my husband. Now I do! In fact, soon I might have to take it into one of our main trendy clothing stores to show you the ultra-bizarre 1980′s style clothing that resembles something in Richard Simmons’ wardrobe. The only thing stopping me at the moment are the security guards at the door who don’t seem so friendly.

So, if there is anything that you are dying to see from Britain, give me a hollar and I will do my best to capture it on video for you.

-julie

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/4714261[/vimeo]

Zoo Day

Julie — Thu, 14 May 2009 19:30:12 +0000

Last week our family took a little trip to Chester, England to celebrate the daughter’s 7th birthday. Instead of a big birthday party, we let our kids choose an “experience” to remember their birthday and an overnight trip to the zoo was chosen.

Chester, England is quite an interesting town 10 miles from Liverpool with Tudor style buildings in the city centre. We felt like we were back in time roaming the city. The kids especially enjoyed our “hotel” (I am not quite sure if you call it a hotel if it cost $30 a night) in the city centre. This is the best zoo we have ever visited, and the kids have been watching a weekly television program that takes place here (Hence the reason the daughter knows so many of the animals’ names). Here is a little video I put together about our time (Please excuse some shakiness; I still haven’t mastered walking and videotaping at the same time).

-julie

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/4634160[/vimeo]

Ahhâ€¦.Firenze

Julie — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:36:21 +0000

Bradâ€™s parents were saints and kept the kids for 3 days while Brad and I took a quick trip to Florence, Italy. I donâ€™t know if youâ€™ve ever had a near perfect day in life, but while we were there I think I experienced one. That is such a charming city and for the art lover in me it was quite satisfying. We had perfect weather, had advanced tickets to see the Birth of Venus (my all time favorite painting) at the Uffizi and unexpectedly got in at the last minute without wait or having to pay to see the magnificent David. Wherever we go in Europe we take a Rick Steves travel book with us. He sure knows his stuff and we always follow his advice on restaurants. He led us to a place that had excellent gelato.

I never feel more in America than when I travel to a major tourist city. There are few Americans here in our city, so when I go on vacation I enjoy the moments of hearing American English amongst the tourists. One man turned to me in line and asked a question in American English. It warmed my heart so and I just wanted to hug him. If he only knew that he had made my trip that much better. A double treat for us was seeing an older American gentleman with a cowboy hat on. Ah, I just loved it. The Italians were delightful and I loved seeing all of the dark hair and their friendliness. I couldnâ€™t stop staring when I saw 4 Italian guys together where we were eating one day. I noticed very quickly that they all had the same suede loafers on, but were in different colorsâ€¦.bright red, green, blue, and purple. What a friendship they must have had to go out all wearing the same shoes. Or, maybe one of them bought the shoes for the others and they felt obligated? Italy was wonderful and unforgettable. Ciao!

Our Trip to Paris

Julie — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 10:38:41 +0000

For several years we have had photos of Paris from an earlier trip hanging around our house and a large metal Eiffel Tower (compliments of Target) sitting in various rooms. It started when Harper was 3 saying she wanted to go to the “Eiffel Terror”. Knowing that we would be moving where it was easily accessible to visit, we promised her a trip there to commemorate her 5th birthday. So 2 weeks ago we boarded the plane for Paris to show her the sights. Despite the rain at times, we had a great trip visiting the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Montmartre, Champs-Elysees, and doing lots and lots of metro rides. We tried many desserts, which was a favorite of Harpers and ate lots of baguettes. Each day we would try something new…chocolate flan, chocolate Ã©clair, crÃ¨me brulee, coconut tarte, tiramisu, and some unidentifiable dessert that seemed to have espresso in it, eaten by Harper at bedtime:). We collected several catalogues from fancy chocolate makers, which excited Harper more than anything. It was quite a hoot to see her carrying those throughout Paris. Brooks’s highlight was playing with his cars at Notre Dame. Since we have been home he tells us constantly that he wants to go back to “Note Dame” and “Ice Tower”. A highlight for Brad and me was the fact that we heard so many people speaking with an American accent. Since we have met very few Americans here, it was a treat to hear people speaking our home language. At one point in a restaurant we were surrounded by Americans, and I almost found myself hugging them for no reason. Anyways, Paris was fantastic. We were blessed to hang out with some friends, eat good food, enjoy a beautiful city, and show our kids an exciting place.

Julie
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