Greek Cruise

Kent and I took the two girls on an amazing family adventure. We went on a 7 day cruise from Venice, Italy to Croatia and Greece. The weather was great, our boat was amazing, and the food an entertainment were incredible. We had stops in Split, Croatia; Corfu, Athens, Mykonos, and Olympia, Greece. We mostly went to the beach, but also had a great time visiting the Acropolis, the Temple of Zeus, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Madison and Ellie loved the formal nights when we got to dress up like we were at the ball. They especially loved dancing with their daddy, and cheering for all the onboard entertainment. I loved that everytime we left our room, we came back and someone had cleaned up for us! My favorite part of the whole trip was watching Kent win the sexiest legs contest at the top deck pool the last day! He even beat out the frenchman in the Speedo!

We had a great time on our trip--one of the highlights was that we were amongst 700 other fellow Americans onboard. It felt like having one extra week back in the homeland. The beauty of Greece was spectacular, but America is still the best!

Ellie's broken arm

Ellie was playing on the couch, trying to balance on the arm of the couch while catching her hat with a drum stick (her explanation). Then she fell and landed on her arm on the tile floor. The result: a broken arm right at the elbow joint. The fix: surgery with two pins put in her arm and a cast for several weeks. We really felt bad for her. She has been a real trooper through all the pain!

Istanbul was Constantinople...

Kent and I had the chance to go to Istanbul for a weekend. I met him there after he had already been there working. What a great experience. After living in our small village of only 1200 people, though, it felt very overwhelming to be in a city with 20 million people. There were people and noises everywhere! We got to go see the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sofia, the Cistern, the Grand Bazaar, and the Main Square. We both found learning more about Islam fascinating. It was always amazing to hear the call to prayer at all hours of the day (and night).
What a great get away without kids, too!
Thanks, Rachel for watching them!!!!

Easter

Easter came and went this year without me remembering to post. We had a great easter egg hunt with our neighbors, the Jacksons. It's easy to think about new life, and the Resurrection of the Savior when we live in such a beautiful place...

Our Concert

Emily and I started playing music with some friends a few months ago. One thing lead to another, and we found ourselves performing at a big event in Switzerland. It was a BLAST!!! We wouldn't make it past round one of American Idol, but it was a great time. If you can overlook the out-of-tune singing and basic guitar skills, these videos are pretty fun. These were shot with our home video camera, but there are some high-quality videos on Facebook. Emily also has her picture in the newspaper today with a description of the evening in German. She got good reviews! Enjoy.