off she went...

We arrived home on Friday the 19th at 10:30 AM. We were a day late getting home from Europe. We frantically started laundry and packing for our resident ballerina to leave the next morning at 7:00 AM.

No time for jet lag or sleep. There was LOTS to accomplish. Packing a teenager for a month is work. One giant suitcase was full of ballet miscellaneous and dorm room paraphernalia.

She has been gone for one week now and BOY OH BOY do we miss her. It was so hard to send her off. I have sympathy for moms and their missionaries. It pulls at those heart strings. I am lucky in that I get to talk to her each evening and she will be home in a month.

This is Wayne State University in Detroit. Jensen's home for a month. She dances here and at Detroit Opera House.

The schedule is grueling to say the least. Up at 7, eat, get ready and off to classes. She dances from about 9 to 5:30 each day. Some nights there are rehearsals and there are Saturday classes. Her one day off is Sunday and she will be attending church with some members in Detroit. They are so kind to pick up Jensen and her friend and keep them for the day. Church members are amazing.

Jensen is LOVING this experience. Not liking the food so much. She has a great roommate and is making loads of friends. We are proud of her and are counting down the days until she returns.

~France and England~

Bonjour!!

The girls and I and my mom on the Seine River in Paris

Over looking Paris from 59 stories above


This sums it all up

Lunch

The best Macaroons ever and Chocolate!!

Crepes at Notre Dame

Monet's Water Lily Pond

Arc de Triumphe

AMAZING!!

The gardens at Versailles

Notre Dame

Stained glass in Notre Dame

Sisters

Kenzie's photo of lilies at Monet's

Big Ben and Parliament

The London Eye

London Bridge

Hampton Court

Home of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

Stone Henge

Just a few highlights from an incredible trip. It was so fun to share with my girls and my mom. We saw so much history, culture and filth. The girls enjoyed taking pictures of everything from flowers, buildings and doors. They enjoyed the vast contrast to America. Although it was smelly, dirty and gross at times; it was the trip of a lifetime.

They learned to ride the Metro and the Tube and did great! We were stranded on the french freeway for a couple hours and they made the best of it. We walked, ran, strolled, ate baguettes everyday for lunch and were exhausted at the end of each day.

Saw castles, palaces, cathedrals, changing of the guard at Buckingham, WICKED, countryside in France and England, rode the Eurostar and in the end got stuck in Chicago coming home.

This trip was amazing, incredible, exhausting, thrilling, frustrating and challenging. I will treasure this experience always. So much fun to have the girls and my mom along. Can't wait to go again!

We are off......

The girl's and I are off bright and early tomorrow morning to go here...

and here!!!

We are excited, nervous and will miss the boys a LOT!!!

By the way...these are actual pictures that Scott took on

our trip to London and Paris 3 years ago.

Can't wait to show the girls.

warp speed....

Summer came so quickly and we have been on the go ever since. The girls and I were off to Girl's camp (LoMia) right after Memorial Day.


It is so beautiful in the mountains and it was great to get away from the heat. We even had rain!

Kenzie and Aubrey

Jensen on the rock wall

This is the surprise Scott had waiting for Mackenzie when she got home from camp a week ago.

Nice wheels for a 16 year old. Oh, boy was she excited! I thought I would be a nervous wreck every time she got in this car, but it is so nice to have another driver. I'm not sure if she likes picking up the slack? I do worry about her and panic a little when her cell phone calls me when she is on an errand.

The calendar is still full and we have already gone to Girl's Camp, had friends over to swim, I had lunch with friends, Mackenzie has had a full social calendar and Jensen has been busy with ballet.

The girl's and I are busy getting ready for the next adventure....Paris and London. Here we come! I have 4 days left to get us packed for Europe and Jensen packed for her month long stay in Detroit.

The boy's will hold down the fort while we are gone. I am forever indebted to Steph for taking Alec while I am on all these adventures. She is the best!

It seems as if summer is in warp speed and will be gone before I know it.