travis + jessica: {june 2017}

Some of these are out of order, but our Europe trip is in the middle of the post!

My brother Jared left to Norway on his mission!! It's so fun to have an uncle for the kids to write letters to and know is serving a mission.

Travis turned 29 this month!! Thankfully my mom made his cherry cheesecake since we got home from Europe the day before his birthday, and jet lag---jet lag is very real thing!!

Fun night at the pool!

Leaving to church

Jake gave his first talk in primary this month!

This was one of those months we will never forget! Travis and I had the amazing opportunity to experience Europe, specifically the countries where he served his mission exactly 10 years ago! The views, the food---everything was incredible. It was a HUGE help that Travis speaks French and it was so fun to hear him every day! He literally translated for me everywhere we went and it was fun for me to learn a few words in French! We didn't have an international phone plan (they were in airplane mode the whole time), so we had to print out all of our walking maps before hand. We also decided to not take any suitcases; instead we decide to backpack, so we carried all of our belongings in one back pack each. This made it SO much easier to get around since we were traveling between 3 countries and didn't have hotels to leave our bags at all day every day. It was also nice to not have to worry about losing our luggage. I can't believe I actually did it! I've never packed that light in all my life let alone for 9 days across the world! We ended up having even more than we used. I wore some super comfortable shoes every day so that helped to only pack one pair, then we did some laundry at night a few days in the bathroom sink of our hotels and brought a clothesline. We also lucked out with perfect weather the whole time!!

My mom and brother Dallin were rockstars and agreed to stay with the kids in North Carolina the entire time. Two toddlers is no small feat, so I'm glad they had each other to keep semi-sane. The kids had a blast though and did really well thankfully!! My mom sent me amazing daily updates and pictures every night and we knew they were safe and well take care of. Below is a picture dump---and since a picture is worth a thousand words, this post is a novel.

We spent the first day in NYC, had our first experience eating Shake Shack, saw the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty (from the bridge area), and Wall Street! Our last meal in the US and first meal back to the US was McDonalds both times! Then we flew to Paris that night. It had been over 4 years since I'd flown without a child with me. It was like a vacation in and of itself! It was so rejuvenating to have 9 days with just me and Travis! The 6 hour time change was pretty crazy! But the fact that it was just the two of us (without the kids) made us feel unstoppable no matter how tired we got. We spent the next afternoon and night in Paris and walked up to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower. It was around 1400 steps total and our legs were feeling it by the end (sooo tired from the red eye + jet lag). But it the view was worth it and the Eiffel Tower is HUGE. Thankfully there was no line too! I also had my very first pain au chocolat (croissant with chocolate in it) and it was just as delicious as Travis told me. Also, I've always loved bread and I will always dream of that bread in Europe. Just can't be beat.

The next morning we took a bullet train to Switzerland. If we had to pick, this was probably our most favorite part of the trip. It was stunning and literally like a dream. The cobblestone streets, the flowers in all the window panes, the chocolate and cheese smells---it was all amazing! We toured the cutest chocolate factory of Trav's all-time favorite chocolate and stocked up on some to bring home! Our hotel was at the base of The Gruyere Castle on the cutest road I've ever seen in my life. That night we had the most amazing Swiss dinner, including Fondue cheese/potatoes.

Chocolate factory!

Travis is known for eating a candy bar/chocolate all in about one bite, where as I'm the complete opposite. The factory had an area where you could learn how to properly eat and enjoy your chocolate! Just what he needed haha...Here he is smelling it.

The cutest street in the world:

This is a real hand from a mummy in the castle....I thought it was a glove but nope. I couldn't even take the picture.

Our view at dinner; no filters on these pics!

The next morning we took a train to Geneva and walked to the Chillion Castle and the fountain. It was beautiful! We also had some delicious Italian pizza before catching our train back to Paris.

We spent the next day in Versailles. The palace is ginormous! We walked through parts of it and some of the gardens and then made the 30 minute walk to the new Paris temple (walks like these are when we noticed our backpacks ha!) The temple is BEAUTIFUL, simple, and stunning. I did initiatories and Travis went to the celestial room (not enough guy workers at the temple we had reserved for him). We also had French pastries. Oh my gosh I've never had anything so good! That night we took a bullet train to Luxembourg.

Most of the smells (of food and flowers) were wonderful, but other smells no so much. This tunnel in particular smelled like a porta-potty! Thank goodness for long hair.

Luxembourg! We went to church that morning in the ward where Travis served! They currently meet in a hotel while a new church building is being built. It was fun to watch Trav see familiar faces. We then bused and trained to Vianden and took a gondola ride up toward the castle and back! It was breathtaking. Then we toured the castle, had some gelato, and bused back to our hotel. This was the first and only time we stayed more than one night in the same hotel!

The next day we trained back to Paris to finish out our trip at packed in a bunch of sites. We took a fun boat ride down the Siene River and had lunch on it as well. More pastries, the Lourve, Notre Dame, The Arch de Triumph, watching the lights turn on in the Eiffel Tower at sunset, the Luxembourg Gardens, and the BEST crepes in all the world. We also went to Pont Neuf where we added a lock to the bridge and threw the key in the water.

The cutest, most delicious crepe stand in all the world. No exaggeration.

I am such a bad sleeper! Even in perfect conditions napping can be hard for me at home. Well, this trip proved me wrong! With all the jet lag and traveling, I became pro at taking cat naps on trains, buses, and metros. Travis thought it was the greatest thing ever haha!

A cute store in the Paris airport.

We made it home safe and sound!!

Travis and I looked at each other laughing when we saw how cute it was that Jake put on all 4 huge stickers he was given at once at the donut shop.

Finally shaved ice nearby!

About a month ago, Ev hit her tooth on a table. It wasn't until after Europe that we noticed it was turning gray so she got to have her first dentist appointment! She did great and picked these purple sunglasses for her prize. Thankfully the tooth gets to stay as long as it doesn't get infected!