WARNING! MONSTER POST!

Quite a lot has happened in our lives since our last post, so this post is an attempt to update you on what's been happening - beware, it's a monster!

Traci and I have had an amazing time over the past couple of months! It began late June when Traci, the kids, and Traci’s parents flew out to meet my parents in England. They all spent a couple of days touring around the country side and then caught another flight over to Geneva to pick me up from my internship. It was soooo good to see them again. It had been 2 months since we had last seen each other and the kids seemed so much older – it’s amazing how fast they grow up. So we spent a couple of days together seeing the sights in Switzerland. We drove up to Bern and an area called Lauterbrunnen which is just south of Interlaken. Both Bern and Lauterbrunnen were amazing! Bern is a really cool, really old city. We spent an afternoon exploring its streets and Cathedrals.

Lauterbrunnen is a picturesque little village right in the middle of this awesome valley with waterfalls cascading down the massive valley cliffs.

From Lauterbrunnen we took a cable car up the valley, and then a train across to Murren (another village).

The whole experience was amazing! We were also able to spend a morning walking around Geneva.

After Switzerland, we drove through the French countryside all the way to Versailles (just south-west of Paris). We spent a day exploring the massive Palace at Versailles and its surrounding gardens.

That evening we drove up to the Normandy coast and spent the next day exploring the World War 2 D-Day beaches – what an amazing time!

It was quite inspiring and humbling to see the beaches and remaining monuments.

We left Normandy that night and drove down to Paris were we spent the next 3 long, hot, exhausting days.

We were able to see everything that we planned to see: the Eiffel Tower,

Notre Dame,

the Louvre,

and the Musee D’Orsay. We also took a tour bus ride around the city as well as a boat ride on the Seine. It was good to see all the sites, but really taxing to do it with the kids, especially in the middle of a summer heat wave.

We then flew out of Paris back to England were we spent the next day relaxing with family. That morning we blessed Jack and his cousin Adam down at the Rugby chapel.

The heat wave was still in full effect, so we spent most of the rest of the day with the kids in the pool.

The next day we drove up to Scotland through the Lake District (a wilderness area in north/central England).

We spent a couple of days in Edinburgh and a day in St. Andrews where Traci’s dad played a round of golf at the Old Course.

It was a perfect day – the sun was out with a slight breeze.

Edinburgh is a beautiful old city. We walked through the old streets up to the Edinburgh Castle and spent a morning in the Scottish National Gallery.

After our time in Scotland, it was time for the fam and I to part ways again for a little while. I flew out of Edinburgh for Cape Town, South Africa for a week, while Traci, the kids and her parents drove back down to my family in England. It was good to get back to Cape Town as it had been a good four years since I had last been home. I spent most of my time there in the townships on school project related stuff, but I was still able to catch up with some old friends which was nice.

On the way back to England, I had a day layover in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). It was the hottest place that I have ever been! It was around 104, with humidity that you could cut with a knife! Apart from the stifling weather, I really did enjoy meeting new people while riding the bus around the city seeing the sights.

Right now we're still in England staying with my brother and his family. We’re having fun relaxing, seeing the local sights and spending much needed quality time with family. We’ll be here for the next couple of weeks and then fly back to Oregon where we will probably spend a week or so with Traci’s family before heading back to Provo for one final semester of school.
Here are a few pics of the fam and some things we’ve been doing in England since I got back from Cape Town: