fall arrived (so says the calendar)
and nolan wanted to/asked to decorate.
i usually love decorating my house
for the holidays,
but now i don’t like pulling out the boxes
sorting through all the memories.

initially my motivation
was because of nolan
since he wanted the house
to be festive,
but as i put things out in
their place i started to think
maybe i can do this, maybe even like it.

it all reminds me of mark,
of what we love about the fall.

in the fall decorations box,
at the bottom…was mark’s wig…
and the green face paint
he applied to my face last year.

just left it
where it was.

instead grabbed the pumpkins, candles, and singing frankenstein.

and…i had bought nolan a ninja costume
right after halloween last year
@ target for $4.00.
what a steal. pulled that out.

to get myself ready…i just threw on
some ears and gloves
we had
lying around the house (seriously)
and went
as minnie mouse.

went over to the franks house and
kept the trick or treating tradition.

my sister in law amber
made adorable
mummy dogs,
peanut butter eye balls,
and gummy worm punch.
clever.

the night
went well,
and it may have
helped warm me
up for the biggies
around the bend.

while i have been
enjoying concerts
at the smaller spots,
i couldn’t turn down
the chance to join
about 100,000 people
to see this
incredible u2 concert.

traffic
was going to be crazy
so we got there a few hours
early.
hung out in the parking lot,
chatting,
and watching people (quite entertaining).

black eyed peas
opened up the night,
got everyone energized.
u2 took it from there.
since bono looked
about the size of an ant
from our seats,
it was hard not to let my eyes
wander
to the die hard fans,
singing in the aisles,
swaying from side to side,
& shaking their fists.

love their enthusiasm.
what a great night!

another concert in la for the second night in a row,
to my favorite spot so far-
the troubadour,
to see needtobreathe.
it was a great show.

fun night-
thanks guys!

first time
at the hollywood palladium.
the open floor area
reminded me of a
roller skating rink.
got there at just
the right time
to get a pass
upstairs.
perfect view. the place was packed.

we made the
mistake
of not eating
before the show
so we were
all famished
by the time
beach house
finished
and
grizzly bear
came on.
after the show
we stopped for dinner/breakfast.

Day 8. October 17. Paris & back to London.

as we walked, we heard live music across the street in a courtyard- they were playing our wedding song.

wear it or carry it

about to hop in a cab, instead we rode the subway (“metro”) since the station was right there.

wandered around for a bit, it started to rain some more, and was a bit chilly.

hitched a ride with a rather smelly cab driver to the eiffel tower to cruise down the river seine.

finally we arrived back at our hotel to pick up our luggage. and about 20 minutes later we were into one more smelly cab.

at the train station, we were directed into the “queue” to check in.

after waiting awhile, we heard rumors of strikes, cancellations, and delays. people became tense, most likely not helped by the men walking around with machine guns (Scary.)

parties with small children were called forward.
not us. nolan is no longer considered a “small” child.
those with connecting flights were called forward.
not us. ours didn’t qualify- it’s in the morning.

all a bit unsettling, unnerving, and we started thinking we may be making our own way to london and we would need to do it quick. only 13 hours from take off, and the drive alone would be 9 hours.

but after awhile the line moved, and we were notified departure would be delayed an hour.

sure enough a little over an hour later we were going.

about an hour and a half later we got some news- further delay.

the tunnel under the english channel closes at midnight every night for maintenance. our train didn’t make it in time and we had to wait for an hour while they completed their work.

arrived in london just before 2 am.  the hotel sent a cab for us. the trick was finding him.

half an hour later we checked in, headed to our room, and into comfortable beds.

Day 9. October 18. London back to LA.

so tired this morning after getting only four hours of sleep. repacked our bags, dressed a sleepy and even sleeping boy, and woke him in time to head out to catch our flight.

london heathrow is enormous. made our way down the long halls to the waiting area and shops for awhile before winding down the corridors to board the plane.

once boarded, we were disappointed to find they had changed our seats. nolan and i were sandwiched between a couple strangers on each side, and mom was sandwiched between some behind us.

on my left was a woman who was crying and somber much of the time.
on nolan’s right was a man who had a foot injury.
needless to say getting in and out for the restroom was difficult.

i tried to take nolan when one of them was up, but hard to regulate a seven year old’s bladder on an 11 hour flight.

so good to be back in los angeles.  coming back in through security was quite friendly, and it’s great to be home.

two of my brothers picked us up at the airport- and didn’t want to miss us. here’s what they were holding. funny!

And no better way than this to celebrate being back in southern california. Lunch @

Day 7. October 16. Paris.

well i didn’t journal this day and by the next day i had forgotten what we had done.

so here is the day in pictures (mostly):

the walk

notre dame

the louvre

for dinner tried an italian pizzeria.

nolan and i split this average american looking calzone…only to discover a yoke filled fried egg in the middle. not a pleasant surprise…

told nolan we could grab dessert on the way back but didn’t pass anything. so we got back to the hotel at almost 11 and ordered him dessert from room service.

what a great day in paris.

Day 6. October 15. London to Paris.

finally fell asleep after 2am
we slept until our 8:10am
wake up call.

at breakfast, nolan got stuck in the restroom
unable to unlock the door.
he shrieked
“mom I don’t want to be locked in here forever.”
but he escaped unscathed.

we paid, and headed back to quickly complete packing,
say farewell to our eco friendly hotel
and hop in a cab for st pancras.

took about 40 minutes to get there,
traffic was pretty heavy this morning.

at the train station
got a stamp on our passports (#3),
and waited for boarding.

the view from the window was lovely
and reminded me so much of california.

nolan was busy writing on a napkin,
saying he was writing a book.
the story was of a boy
who was about to be shot at by a bad guy,
but his dad saved him and they went home. how sad.

the train was fast and amazingly smooth.
it would take a ferry ride and 9 hours to drive
the distance that this
train would cover in 2 1/2 hours.
and part of the distance would
be through a tunnel beneath
the english channel.

before we knew it we were already to paris.
the line for taxis reminded me of lines at disneyland.
about 25 minutes later we were in the taxi
and on our way through the streets of paris
our hotel next to the louvre.

the cab driver
was listening to some french, and some english music.
i took a bunch of pictures out of the windows.
ooh la la. seriously in awe of this place.

weaving in and out of lanes,
dodging motorcyclists,
other cabs, buses, and the like
about 25 minutes later we made it to our hotel.

the room was smallish (not too tiny)
but very very nice.
with lots of closets, a desk, a nice restroom
and a pretty balcony with a nice view. wonderful.

a sweet boy
(with some help)
had flowers waiting in the room
as a birthday surprise.

after we put away our clothes, we set out to see the eiffel tower.

we stopped along the side of a park
for coffee,
chocolate (nutella) and banana crepes
and a hot dog in a baguette for nolan.

then we continued along the path, crossed over the river seine,
and to the eiffel tower.

a french woman overheard us talking about where to eat,
turned around, and politely recommended a place
around the corner. how nice!

for dessert we had chocolate mousse and creme brulee.
good stuff.

walked for about a block and found a stop
where you pick up cabs.
hopped into the first one which was a mercedes cab,
and then made it to our hotel in about 10 minutes.

nolan fell asleep right away, and i am quickly following the same path.

goodnight…

Day 5/6:  October 15. London-Paris.

12:45am realized

it is here. 30. A birthday.

We were all still
awake,
Mom and Nolan
were really sweet
with cards and gifts.

But deep down,
below it all,
behind the running,
the constant movement,
the sights,
the adventure,
the photos,
the smiles,
the frustration,
the excitement…
is that same truth.

Thousands of miles,
hours and hours,
a new land,
vacation,
plans,
busy-ness,
and it is still there.

We are using
the passports
the three of us
intended to fill.

I can’t sleep.
Partly because
we slept about
15 hours last night.
But also
my mind is racing
with
thoughts of him.

He baked
my cake
last year…
my favorite.

Even bought those
silly
letter
candles
that read
“Happy Birthday”.

Missing his warmth,
his arms,
resting our feet
together when we’d sleep.

Thanking God
for those
comforting memories
swirling
through
my head…

I hope to keep them.

Day 5. October 14. London.

Our body clocks are confused.

Nolan woke up hungry at 4:30am
so I warmed up some leftover dinner.

Then I woke for an hour
at 8:30, fell back asleep
and we all got up at 11:30.

Headed out a couple hours
later and
made our way
to the British Museum.

As Nolan’s homeschool teacher
those five months
we learned/I taught him
about
the Rosetta Stone.

Wonderful that we were able to see the original.
Carvings from
Nineveh.

This museum
was amazing.

But my shoes
were killing
my feet.
Instead of walking
further, we
hopped on the bus.

Hit up a couple shops
to buy me a London souvenir-
a new pair of shoes.

Then stopped for dinner.

Off to find
Buckingham Palace.
Wandered through
a very dark,
empty
park
and then
made a wrong turn.
But…
better late
than never.

Back in the hotel
we watched
a movie.

Nolan told me
he wished he
had a

time machine
so I would
never

get old.

Kid, I love you.    But it happens tomorrow.

Day 4.  October 13. Arrival in London.

Not much sleep happened for me on the plane.
Mom slept better
and Nolan slept
the best- such a good traveler.

Landed at 9:30am. What a great flight.

Entered through “All Other Passports”
and got our second passport stamps-
and mom’s first stamp.

Made our way to the black cabs,
heading over to Kensington and our hotel.

If it is wasn’t a cab,
every other car
was a BMW.
They were driving on
the “wrong”
side of the car
and road.
But other than that
the roads felt like home.

20 minutes and
45 pounds (about $90) later
we were at Base2stay,
our home for the next
two nights.

After showering
and resting,
we set out
to find the place
to pick up our London pass.

Everyone
seems to be
in such a rush.
On the way to find the tube (subway),
as we waited to cross the street
a guy on a bicycle
(i repeat- a bicycle)
stopped at the crosswalk,
yelled to us,
“Hey are you going
to go or not?
You
are wasting all of
our time.”
Yikes.

Cruised the River Thames.

Then walked by Big Ben,
the Houses of Parliament,
and Westminster Abbey.

Boarded the already overcrowded tube.
Squeezed in with hundreds of business people
looking intently at their newspapers and not talking.

A couple people would get off at each stop
and then about twice as many would crowd back in.
Mom wanted to get off at each stop for about 4 stops before ours.

But alas made it all the way, mom promising never to do that again.

Mom and I were so tired tonight we dozed off at dinner.

One time I opened my heavy eyelids to see her eyes closed

and Nolan looking back and forth between us. Back to the hotel by 9.

(So tired that I fell asleep typing this.)