Tag Archives: Anna

Jolly Old London Town

Coming back around to the last post about Anna’s (my niece) recent visit. The last stop on our trip was London.

In December 1993, when I was a junior in high school, I had the opportunity to visit London on a school trip. There were a couple hundred of us on the trip, including my sweet friend, Kristy. Little did I know that a few years later, she would become my sister-in-law! It was a great trip and we both fell in love with the city.

See the 3 faces in the background? 🙂

So what a cool thing that just over 20 years later, I had the chance to take my niece to London! And even better: Zack and the boys joined us on this leg of the trip. It was William and Daniel’s first time in London as well.

It was fun showing them some of Zack’s and my favorite places, and discovering a few new ones as well.

Of course we saw all the obligatory spots, like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the Thames…

And the original Hard Rock!

As HP fans, we also made a stop at Platform 9 3/4!

 

We only had two full days, but we managed to see a lot. On the second morning, Anna and I went to Tower of London.

 

And the boys took a tour of Chelsea’s stadium.

Of course, there was also coffee!

 

 

We took the Tube to Notting Hill, which is now one of my favorite areas in London. Love this area!

The antique store used in the movie Paddington Bear

 

William Thacker’s (Hugh Grant) travel book
shop from Notting Hill

 

The Blue Door to William Thacker’s flat in
Notting Hill

 

 

 

A quick stop on Baker Street…

 

Total tourists on Abbey Road

 

 

And we finished off our visit at a great Fish & Chips restaurant in Notting Hill.

 

 

 

The Graduate: a European Tour

Two weeks came and went, and before I knew it, I was driving my niece back to the airport.

 

Anna made her way back to the states on Wednesday. Based on my own experience and the occasional iMessages we exchanged, it was one of those days that seemed it would never end.

But now that she is back home, I want to take a little time to show a bit of what we were up to.

 

Her grandparents were gracious enough to help out with plane tickets and passport to get her here, and we really appreciate it.

 

And once here, we found some low-cost airfare so we could show her a few of our favorite places.

 

For the first week, we spent time in our city, as well as Tønsberg and Oslo. After that, she and I had another day in Oslo, before flying to Stockholm for a couple of days, and then to London for the weekend.

It was a great trip, and I look forward to sharing a bit more about it in the coming days.

 

Christmas Eve in June

I am seriously like a kid waiting for Christmas.

The first little one to ever steal my heart will be here in less than 24 hours. My oldest niece Anna just finished high school – seriously, where have 18 years gone?!?! – and will be starting university in the fall. To celebrate this big life event, she is coming to spend a couple of weeks with us.
And I am so.stinking.excited.
Stay tuned for Anna & Jenn’s Euro Adventure! (And if you don’t mind, please pray for safe travels!!)

Art with a Story

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, it’s a painting, and it tells a story that is near and dear to our hearts.

We asked our friend Anna to create something for us, and didn’t provide many specifics. We wanted it to have something to do with adoption, and at one point we had talked about the colors of Ukraine’s flag (yellow & blue).

We were already familiar with Anna’s work so we knew whatever she did would be good. But when we picked it up on Sunday afternoon, we were amazed. It is incredible how an artist can take a request and make it into something so personal and, in my opinion, powerful. That is exactly the case with this piece. I also think when it is an artist that knows you well, the depth and power is even greater.

It really does say a lot about us.

It shows the boys’ interests. And their individual background colors reflect their Ukrainian heritage.

Daniel, the artist
William, the athlete

The red at the top reminds me that it all started with a love story 🙂 And the rainbow reminds me of promises: from God to us, from us to God, in our marriage, and within our family.

I think the use of color symbolizes a lot as well. The colors are beautiful on their own. But their real beauty is seen when they come together. Kind of like our family: each of us holds gifts and talents that become more when we come together.

We are so excited about the way this turned out. As Anna pointed out, someone that didn’t know us would simply see it as a piece of art. But those that know us can see that it tells so much more!