Well all you peeps out there somewhere, I'm not sure how many of you are still tuning in but for all you folks still hanging in there... We've made it back to the homeland and it's been a wee bit of a whirlwind! I finally had some time to sit down and get all of our pictures from London together and I thought I would give you all a bit of a finale to the craziness that has been our lives for the last eight months. So, here you go, the quick and dirty of England in three days!

We started our journeys in jolly ole' England with a day trip out to the Queen's fav vacation spot at Windsor Castle. We couldn't take any photos of the inside but we took some snaps of the outside of the castle.

Glamour it up!
I think I see the queen, just kidding it's Prince William, just kidding it's Harry, just kidding!

Nice hat!

l
Then it was off to the town of Bath to check out the ruins of the old Roman Baths that were built there circa- a long time ago!

What?

Can I pretend like I'm going to fall in the bath?

Double what?
The town of Bath

Then it was off to the infamous Stonehenge which, by the way, is out in the middle of nowhere!

Baxter kickin' it at Stonehenge of course! Man he had a good trip!

Glamour shot!

Relatives of the people who built the henge?

The next day we had the ridiculous task of trying to see all that is London in a day... But, since Nat and I never back down from a challenge we walked a hell of a long way and saw as much of London as is humanly possible in a day! I can say that it was one of the best days I've had in my whole life.

Classic... allo?

The Natural History Museum dinosaur exibit blew mine and Baxter's minds! So beyond cool...

Babies everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yikes!

BONUS VIDEO OF THE DAY: They do exist...check out my face at the end, coolest thing ever!

If only I could've seen a Chelsea game inside Stamford Bridge... next time!

Oh yeah Frankie Frank Lampard!

Feeling it!

The big wheel

Big Ben and Baxter

Westminster Abbey

Walking about

Another classic... the old school kind too!

St. Paul's Cathedral

Tate Modern from across the Thames

Where for art thou Globe Theater?

PS- Nat was the creeper who took this shot, but it was so flippin' cute... GO CHELSEA!

ARGH!

Knight statue near the river

The Tower Bridge from a far

Random face submarine

This is especially for Emma, the Irish, souless ginger that she is!

So folks, that about wraps up our incredible journey over the sea! I can't believe it's over but fear not, we will have updates for anyone still interested in the life and times of Nat and Jacie... So, check back every once in a while and see what we're up to. You never know what you'll find but you can be sure it will be craziness all over! Thanks for coming along on the ride and we love ya!


We just spent this past May Long out at the Lake and Meghan may given us an impromptu show and dance!

BONUS VIDEO: The community bathing suit fashion show at Clearwater Lake!

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AU REVOIR PARIS... JE T'AIME!

Well, as many of you know our time here is the city of lights is quickly coming to an end. We have been packing up what has been our lives for the last 7 months and are preparing to move on with the next chapter of our lives... We always knew that this day would come and we are approaching our good-byes with a mixture of happiness and sadness. We've had a hell of a good time here and the people and memories we've made are absolutely irreplaceable. We wanted to send a big ole thank-you to all of you who have shared our journey with us, it has been our pleasure to hopefully entertain you for the last few months! We heart you all and we will see many of you again in the very near future.

But, not to worry we still have a few days of fun left here and we are headed to London before we come back to the homeland, so we'll have some shenanigans for you all.

Here's some pics from Nat Masters last day of work, one word.... RIDICULOUS!

Emma, Ricardo, and the lady of the evening

Fin, working her magic behind the bar

Bobby B and I dancing it out!

YEAH!

Aww, Laura and Nat looking cute

Mustaches?

More ridiculousness

More mustaches... it's kind of our thing!

Alvar and Jules, those crazy boys!

Aw Bobby B, Whitneys going to miss you!

Oh Eva, so dramatic

Thought I would add a couple more of my favorites:

My fav Parisian tree by Ile St. Louis

The old girl at night... gorgeous!

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MORE ITALIA!

BBonjour ladies and gents! I thought I would send a few more pictures of Italy your way... When we last left off we had just enjoyed a lovely night in Tuscany. After spending a relaxing night we decided to get onto the autostrada and make a beeline toward Naples and the Amalfi Coast. After a few hours of craziness at 130 km/h and a few wrong turns, we set our sights on Sorrento.

Naples and Mt. Vesuvius over yonder

Ocean!!!!

The Sorrento coast

The next day we headed off on the ridiculously winding road to the Amalfi Coast and Positano. If any of you have seen Under the Tuscan Sun, the beach at Positano is where Francis and Marcello enjoy a lovely stroll and find a kitten hanging out. The movie is gorgeous but being there in real life was amazing!

Oh, the quiet contemplation

Lyle and Laurie hanging out

Guess what feet belong to who!

Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Muscle man Randy Savage!

Gorge!

Ahoy!

Can you spot the secret cave?

Titties! GIANT JUGS, those are some big lemons!

It looks like she's superimposed but we were actually there!

Picture taken on the go!

When you live on cliffs you still have to find a way to build a cemetery

After our amazing day in Positano, we took the next day to relax and check out the town of Sorrento

What are you looking at?

This used to be a old wash house down in a ravine

GQ model anyone?

The view from the top of our hotel in Sorrento

After staying in Sorrento for a few days, we moved back up the coast toward Rome but we made a stop over in Pompeii first.

GLADIATOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope Vesuvius doesn't blow again!

The ruins on Palantine Hill

Laurie hanging out by the Colosseum

Underneath the floor of the Colosseum. The floor was actually made of wood and hasn't survived so you can see the labrynth of passage ways underneath that were used to cage animals, humans, and set pieces that we waiting to be brought into the arena.

Palatine Hill through an arch in the Colosseum

BONUS VIDEO: On the beach in Positano

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ITALIA!

Sorry for the wait everyone... I've been taking some time to enjoy my last couple of weeks in Paris but I thought I would give you some of the pics from our adventures in Italia! I'm still not sure how dad manage to rally car his way through the whole country without getting a single dint on our little Fiat named Marcello! Honestly, he's a magician!

Marcello and I kickin' it!

We spent a lot of time following farmers in their tiny trucks!

A little mountain town where we stayed called Porretta Terme

The view from our balcony

Lyle and Laurie hanging outThe first time Nat had a chance to see actual mountains!

BONUS VIDEO: Some random cliff in the middle of nowhere... I'm sure the mafia dumps dead body there but I decided that a dance was in order... It's what I do!


After staying overnight in a bit of a creepy 'Shining-esque' Hotel Roma, we took a side trip over to Pisa. Sidenote: The Leaning Tower... it does exist, weird I know... and it really does lean!
FACTS

• It actually took over 177 years to complete
• It began leaning almost immediately after the 3rd stage of construction began
  
• It is slanted 3.9 m from vertical
• Basically, the soil it was built on was like a dry alkali bed!
  

This is not an optical illusion

Really Natalie...

...That's what I thought!

Baxter had to get in on the photo op

After an afternoon in Pisa we headed out on the open road toward Tuscany. We soon found out that knowing how to get there on a map and having ridicuously confusing signs and road construction can lead you into the center of the narrow streets of Florence and into a 6 lane road about where your life flashes before your eyes! By some sort of magical miracle we escaped unharmed using the technique of following a giant city bus and by using the sun to figure out which way we were going we managed to escape into the even more confusing labrynth of roads in the tuscany countryside! I swear I saw the frickin' Minotaur, but we finally made it to the Villa Veronica and had a nice night with an amazingly surreal view out our balcony! Tuscany was so much more than we could have imagined, so relaxing and laid back. It was really one of the places Nat and I had always wanted to go and although I didn't fill my end of the bargain and become Asian and pregnant, we still had a chance to see those "creepy Italian trees!" and be Under the Tuscan Sun! Sidenote: If you haven't seen the movie, rent it now!




BONUS VIDEO: A morning in Tuscany... complete with sexy morning voices and hair!




STAY TUNED: more Italia... Naples, Vesuvius and the Amalfi Coast!

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BARCELONA

Alright everyone who's still out there... I'm back and fully recovered from the whirlwind we've been in for the last few weeks. Lyle and Laurie are safely back in the homeland so I thought that I would take a little time to fill you in on our crazy trip!

BARCELONA

Such an amazing city! If you ever get the chance, check it out. There's sun and sand and amazing architecture everywhere... one word for you... Gaudi. For you folks who don't know, Antonio Gaudi was a Spanish architect in the early 1900's. He had a very unique Art nouveau style that can still be seen throughout the entire city.

PARK GUELL

So many steps... 400?
But the view was worth it!
SAGRADA FAMILIA

Consruction began on this Catholic church in 1882 and continues today. The church is actually only 50% finished and is scheduled to be completed in 2026! Gaudi himself unfortunately died while he was working on the church after he was hit by a tram. Every part of the design of La Sagrada Família has Christian symbolism. A total of 18 tall towers are called for. The Church will have three facades: the Nativity, the Glory (not completed yet), and the Passion. The columns of the interior are a unique Gaudi design and were meant to resemble trees.

Nativity facade- Very naturalist and from afar looks like wax has dripped across the surface but each bump is actually and intricately design animal, flower, leaf, etc.

Tree tops of the interiorThe Passion facade- tells the story of Jesus' crucifiction with cubist statues

CASA BATLLO

It seems that the goal of the designer was to avoid straight lines completely. Most of the building is a mosaic of broken ceramic tiles that starts in shades of golden orange moving into greenish blues. The roof looks like the back of a dragon or dinosaur and the building itself is thought to represent Saint George (patron saint of Catalonia), plunging a sword into the back of a dragon.

MONTJUIC
The large hill overlooking Barcelona and the sea does not just have castle but was also home to various venues for the 92' Olympic games held in the city

The view from the top

Giant cannon for the lady?

We also had a chance to visit the Olympic museum

Creepy costumes from the opening and closing ceremonies... I think someone was still in there!

I learnt how to bobsled... no biggie

Speed cycling too!

Old school foosball... she'll kick your ass!

The Olympic Stadium

Kent, I'm gonna shank you with this!

Pensive?

Of course, we couldn't come to Barcelona without a trip to the ocean... Loves it!

THE STREETS AND OTHER RANDOMNESS

BONUS VIDEO: This is a crazy parade that was happening just outside our place!



Fountain of Youth?

Working the streets

Seriously...

"I'm shaking it up!"

AAAAAHHHH!

BONUS VIDEO: Impromptu singing

STAY TUNED: I still have a ton of stuff from Italia!

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BIENVENUE MA MERE ET PERE

Bonjour everyone! Just thought I would check in with you folks and see if you're still all with me! I've been busy for the last week playing tour guide for my parentals here in Paris. We've had a bit of a whirlwind tour on the city of lights so I figured I'd share some photos with all you lovely peeps.

Laurie flying high in front of the Moulin Rouge

Picnic at the tower
The whole fam damnlyRidiculous

Of course, a trip to Paris isn't complete without a jaunt out to Disneyland Paris! Laurie had an excuse to act like a little kid!

BONUS VIDEO: Welcome to the Magic Kingdom!

Actually, I think there were a couple of big kids!Mickey!

Lyle found himself a nice old car of course!

Then, on Wednesday it was off to Versaille to check out Louis and Marie Antionettes stomping grounds!

The Goooooollllddddd gates
Extravegant much?... The Hall of Mirrors

BONUS VIDEO: Baby making and GOOOOLLLLDDDD!

Can I pretend like I'm going to fall into the fountainWhere's Jacie and Laurie

One of the most interesting parts of the whole tour was the Petit Trianon, which is basically the small village that Louis XVI had built as a gift for Marie Antionette. It was here, away from the Palace, that she spent much of here time socializing, performing onstage, and hanging out away from the eyes of the court and the company of her husband.

The village

Lyle and Laurie back on the farm

BONUS VIDEO: Skipping

Hellu!Glamour shot
Double glamour shot

BONUS VIDEO: Natalie's Disney tryout tape

STAY TUNED: Go out and buy yourself a hat and hold the *bleep* on, we're in Barcelona!

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GUTEN TAG!

Alright ladies a gents, we have the blog to end all blogs for you today! Natalie and I took a bit of a trip to Berlin this past weekend to check out one of my favorite bands perform on Saturday night. Tickets for Jack's Mannequin were only 9 euros so we had to go and they definitely did not disappoint! For those of you who don't know who Jack's is (and I'm sure there are plenty), they are a sort of alternative, piano rock group from California. Lead singer Andrew McMahon, is the former front man of another band called Something Corporate, which is equally as phenominal! He began Jack's as a side project in 2004 but was later diagnosed with acute lymphatic cancer. He began his treatment just as the bands first album, Everything in Transit was released and continued to write songs from the new album, The Glass Passenger. Thankfully, Andrew has made a full recovery and continues to inspire with his music! He has also begun the Dear Jack Foundation (http://www.dearjackfoundation.com/) which helps to fund cancer research and more specifically The Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation (www.pcrf-kids.com), The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (www.leukemia.org). If you have a second, please check out the links, Andrew is not only an amazing musician but an incredible human being who's strength is inspiration for us all.

Now, on with the story!

We left Paris in the wee hours of Saturday morning and were greeted by crickets chirping at the Orly airport. So, what does one do when waiting for a flight on little to no sleep... BLOW BUBBLES!


After about an hour and a half of having the annoying children from H-E double hockey sticks kicking the back of our seats, we arrived in the grey skies of Berlin!

BONUS VIDEO: Guten tag Deutschland!

Oh joy, a new city to get lost in... Sidenote: why are German words so frickin' long!

The tunnel to Narnia!
A quite, contemplative moment.... that's rare!
A naked lady statue in Europe... that's not rare!
The cool thing about Berlin is that when they decide to paint on a building, they don't hold back! We definitely came across some pretty wicked stuff!

We decided to try our first hostel experience and were delighted to find out that we were in fact actually staying in Switzerland... two countries for the price of one!

BONUS VIDEO: Checking in

Still can't believe it's happening!

Not only did the concert happen, but I have to say it was one of the greatest moments of my life. Music is such huge part of my existence on this earth and to be able to see Andrew and Jack's perform in Berlin was such an overwhelming experience... I have no words.

BONUS VIDEO: Here's a small snippet of the concert, sorry for the bad audio! if you want to check out more of Jack's Mannequin go here: http://www.myspace.com/jacksmannequin

If you like Jack's, do yourself a huge favor and check out Something Corporate too:
Something Corporate- Konstantine


After a crazy and overwhelming night out, we had a big day planned on Sunday to see as much of Berlin as we could handle!

We started the day at the The Fernsehturm or TV tower... look up, look way up and I'll call Rusty!

The tower itself was built by the GDR government of East Berlin but it was nicknamed by the western world as 'The Pope's Revenge' because when the sun shines on the Fernsehturm's tiled stainless steel dome, the reflection usually appears in the form of a cross. This effect was neither predicted nor desired by the atheist foundations of the Communist government, and their ongoing suppression of church institutions in East Germany.

Fountain in front of the Red Town Hall

More contemplation with the Berlin Cathedral over yonder
Close up of the Cathedral
Smoky the Bear?

Actually, the bear has been the symbol for the city of Berlin for more than 700 years. It was first used on official correspondance in 1280 and is still part of the city's coat of arms. When Berlin was divided there were two different bears on two different coats of arms. Nobody really knows for sure why the bear was chosen as the city mascot but probably because the German word for it "Bär" is quite close to the sound of the word Berlin.

The Bradenburg Gate

When the Revolutions of 1989 occurred and the Berlin Wall collapsed, the Gate symbolized freedom and the desire to unify the city of Berlin. On December 22, 1989, the Brandenburg Gate re-opened when Helmut Kohl the West German chancellor, walked through to be greeted by Hans Modrow, the East German prime minister.

These guys were the most frightening things we had ever seen! Just look at their eyes... soul less!
The Reichstag
The Holocaust Memorial

The memorial consists of a 19,000 square meter site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field. Eisenman, the architect stated that the memorial was designed to produce an uneasy, confusing atmosphere, and the whole sculpture aims to represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason.

We decided to finish the day at the Wall Museum by Checkpoint Charlie. The museum itself has so much information and has collected a lot of artifacts from the time while the wall was up. It was hard to believe that in our lifetime the city was still divided and only in 1989 was it torn down and all of Berlin was finally free.

After we arrived back at the hostel, we were plesantly surprised that we had the entire country of Switzerland to ourselves. So we partied like rockstars and hit the hay so we could get up and check out what is left of the wall at the East Side Gallery. The Gallery consists of approximately 106 paintings by artists from all over the world, painted on the east side of the Berlin Wall. It is possibly the largest open air gallery in the world. The first painting was started in December 1989 immediately after the fall of the wall.

Hey Denise, if we would have known you were visiting we would have looked you up... PS don't get caught with the spray can in your hand or red fingers!

Finally, we thought that in order for you to fully understand Berlin, you needed to know that apparently they have a love for random signs... we found some strange ones everywhere we went and here's what we think they mean:

No New York Yankee ball caps on the metro?... Other teams are perfectly welcome

You can in fact send a message in a bottle out of this metro car window?

No playing kickball, driving, or owning a house of any sort?

Beware, this zone has air vents that may cause skirts to fly up ala 'Marilyn Monroe'
Screw you Mr. Big and Tall... we're large and in charge here in Germany!

This one is for you Kent!

Apparently you must only do first aid on this seat of the metro!

Of course, there are the funny little traffic lights that Berlin has become famous for called Ampelmännchen, which means little traffic men. The Ampelmännchen is a beloved symbol in Eastern Germany, and is one of the sole features of communist East Germany to survive. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Ampelmännchen acquired cult status and became a popular souvenir item in the tourism business.
Well, that about does it for our weekend in Berlin. If you ever get a chance to visit, we definitely recommend it for it's cool, laid back vibe and of course the amazing selection of quality beer for a couple euros a pint! C'est incroyable!

STAY TUNED: My parentals are arriving tomorrow... that's right, you don't want to miss Lyle and Laurie in a foreign land, I guarantee it will be good times all around!

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