Scott and Julie Martin

This one is for Brooke...

2008-10-19T05:57:00.000-07:00

I have been told, repeatedly, that I need to update our blog. The truth is, we are horrible about taking pictures and I didn't feel we had anything worth blogging about... But, at Brooke's request, here is our update...

Last weekend Scott and I decided to take a trip South East and visit the historical town of York (Many of the buildings have been in existence since medieval times). We had a great time just enjoying the history, the shopping, the street performers and the local restaurants. York is really compact, no place is far from another and no place is hard to locate- assuming you know where you are going (we didn't). The streets were small and crowded and there were areas where the doors entering the shops were no taller than 5 ft. We had a great time and look forward to similar experiences in the near future.

This is one of the oldest Cathedrals in York. It is huge and all of the windows are beautiful Stained glass.

This is the interior looking from the back of the Church forward.
This is Scott's favorite street in York. He thought it looked like one of the Harry Potter Streets. It could not have been wider than 10 ft. across. And the following are just random pictures that we have taken recently.

Whitehaven Walk

2008-09-28T03:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend Scott, Emmi and I went for another hike. We walked along the ocean cliffs from our town of St. Bees to Whitehaven (the closest town with a grocer and shopping). All in all it took us about 3 hours. The weather was impeccable and the views were breathtaking. We had a great time and for the first time since our arrival here we managed to wear Emma out. It was wonderful! Here our the pictures...

Meet our new Neighbors: Bruno. Spike.

Minnie.

Fluffy.Emma striking her model pose. Scott and Emmi. The view looking South towards our House from the Lighthouse. The St. Bees Lighthouse.

Looking down from the lighthouse. The Town you can barely make out is Whitehaven. The Whitehaven Sailboat races as seen from the Northern Cliffs. Looking North from the St. Bees Lighthouse. Looking down from the cliffs. The coast line looking South. The harbour at Whitehaven.Whitehaven.

Anniversary

2008-09-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

This last Tuesday Scott and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary... And we did it in ROME!!! It was a huge blessing in our lives and we are so thankful for the many blessings we have been given.
Scott and I flew in on Sunday morning. We stayed Saturday night in Liverpool and left for the airport at 2:00 a.m. On our way out of the hotel parking lot we were pulled over by the police because there was some kind of domestic disturbance in the hotel but they did not know from which room so they stopped us to question Scott. Now, for those of you know Scott, the notion is absolutely ridiculous which made it even funnier in the moment. They promptly figured out it was not us and let us go on our way. I have to admit, as excited I had been for our trip to Rome, I was finding it hard to be overly zealous at 2:00 a.m. But, that passed and into Rome we went.
The city was beautiful. We flew right over the Colosseum. I have to say though, the city is not as pictures represent it. There was graffiti everywhere. It was hard to find a building or structure that was not covered in spray paint. The only ones we found were the Historical land marks. But, at night, nothing compares.
We had exactly two and a half days to see the entire city, and we did it. In 2 1/2 days we saw: the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Vatican, the Square, St. Paul's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain, the Holy Stairs, Constantine's Arch, II Vittoriano, the Roman Forum, the Spanish Steps, Piazza Del Popolo, the Catacombs, many other basilica's, and lots of restaurants and Gelato shops. I am sure there is more, but you get the idea. We had a blast. As a history fan, I have to say, I was amazed. It made me want to go home and pull out all of my old Western civilization books and learn everything there is to know about Roman History. Absolutely AMAZING!!! It was the experience of a lifetime and one that will be cherished and never forgotten.

Scott and I in front of the Trevi Fountain feeling every bit as exhausted as we look...The Trevi Fountain. The Trevi Fountain from the upper Street.The Trevi Fountain at night.

The II VittorianoOne of the many, many sculptures in and around the II VIttoriano. Scott in front of the II Vittoriano. The Colosseum as seen from the Stairs of the II Vittoriano. A different view from the II Vittoriano. One of the views from the upper stairs of the II Vittoriano. Another view from upper stairs of the II Vittoriano. The city of Rome from the roof of the II Vittoriano. St. Peters SquareThe Obelisk at St. Peters St. Peters Basilica from St. Peters Square.

The entrance of St. Peters Basilica from the square. The Holy Door that is only opened by the pope every 25 years (on Holy years). The bricked up entrance from the interior.

The Interior of St. Peters from the main entrance... Trust me, these pictures do it absolutely no justice!

Michelangelo's Pieta.

The Pantheon as seen from the Square.This is the interior of the Pantheon as seen from the entrance. The ceiling of the Pantheon. It is referred to as the "Eye" and is open to the elements. Santa Maria in Trastevere. Supposedly the oldest church in the city.

The Alter at Santa Maria.
The Holy Steps (They are said to be the same stairs Jesus walked before Pilate)
The entrance to the Catacombs.

Me in front of the Catacombs.

Us being ourselves: Cheesy.

The Colosseum. This picture is showing the underground elevators and rooms that were once below the floor of the Colosseum as well as the seating above and around.

Scott and I inside the Colosseum.
The views from one of the Colosseum decks.

The Arch of Constantine.

The view from the bottom of the Spanish Steps looking up.
Then looking down (kind of).
The following are pictures from the Vatican. There are only a few because you cannot use flash photography. But, I figured I would include them anyway...

And the Giuseppe Momo's Staircase.

Weekend at Home

2008-09-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

Scott and I stayed local this weekend. We went up to Carlisle on Saturday for some local shopping, some great coffee, and to ride the train so I could get accustomed to the stops as well as directionality from the stations to places around the different towns. Then on Sunday we went for a hike around one of the lakes. Nothing too exciting or out of the ordinary but I figured I would share some pictures from our hike so that all of you can get an idea of what the lake district looks like- for those who don't already know that is.

Scotland

2008-09-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, Scott and I decided to head to Scotland this past weekend to celebrate his birthday. Edinburgh is a beautiful town with so much to see and do. It amazed both Scott and I that locals could look at there city as though it was normal to live amidst so much history and beauty. It really puts into perspective just how new we as a nation are. I mean we visited buildings that were built in the early 100's.

Edinburgh castle sat at the center of the town high above everything and the whole town was built on or around the existing structures. The result was astounding. We visited the castle, took a tour of the underground city (the closes), did some shopping, and enjoyed the local restaurants (staying away from black pudding). I also found a local coffee chain that I am absolutely in love with. I have never had coffee so good. I discovered from the barristas (?) that we have a chain cafe in the town next to ours. I almost cried!
Anyway, we had a great time and we are looking forward to going back with our visiting family. We are all doing very well - though we miss our family and friends.

Here are our pictures from the weekend:

This is me looking ridiculous on our journey, but it makes my husband laugh so I figured the rest of you could get a laugh out of it too. I am engrossed in the world of Super Mario content on beating the level before my husband gets his turn and beats the level before I get the chance... Again! This is Scott looking usually hot yet characteristically cold in Scotland's cooler climate.

Scott and I just below the castle at Edinburgh.

These are of Edinburgh Castle. It was pretty astounding. We chose not to tour this ones interior because are last castle tour was rather expensive and not all that informative.

These are of the town of Edinburgh. Pretty amazing.

The city and castle at night.

As you can see, it is a unique experience. We are very blessed and very much enjoying these amazing opportunities and experiences.

Our New Home

2008-08-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

Well, after a long flight delay, and a long flight, we are to our new and very temporary home. Our new home is BEAUTIFUL! It was a little spider infested when we arrived which as you can all imagine I was thrilled about! But my amazing husband pulled out the big guns; a can of wasp spray and some paper towels! Fortunately most of the problem was confined to the garage and we settling down nicely in our now spider free home. The view is breathtaking. You can see the sea from our front windows, which you will see, and the beach is about a ten minute walk. And as much as Scott and I love that- we think Emma might like it more. She has enjoyed diving in the waves for her Frisbee and chasing seagulls. The craziest part of the journey has been the driving. Not because of the steering wheel being on the wrong side or because of people driving on the opposite side but rather because the roads are so dang tiny! Half the time we (and by we I mean Scott) have to pull over because the road is only wide enough for one car to pass through at a time and everyone drives like 90 miles an hour. It's insane. Neither of us has picked up an accent yet but I am sure Scott will in no time. We have had many adventures, shopping included! Our first one began with having to pay a pound to acquire a shopping cart and ended with them not having bags to bag our groceries. Not because they were out- they just don't do that at this particular store. Thus, we had to walk ten blocks with peanut butter, jelly, salt, pepper, and various herbs and jars shoved into our pockets and toilet paper and groceries piled into our arms. We must have looked ridiculous and we probably would have felt ridiculous if we weren't' too busy cracking up at ourselves and the looks we were getting from the locals. I wish I had pictures! And so far, that is as adventurous as we have gotten. I must tell you though in speaking of how different things are here... our washer and dryer are one in the same and it takes 200 minutes to do a single load of laundry! Everything is so different- but you never know what to expect which is always fun. More to follow but in the mean time, Here are some pictures:

This is our new Home!!! Actually, it's not. Ours is actually two to the left but looks exactly the same...

This is the view from our front windows. Pretty unbelievable.

This is the town of St. Bees as seen from one of the cliffs at the beach.

This is St. Bees from the main road. What you see is the Presbyterian Church, which is linked to the school, with the rest of the town behind.

These are the farms viewed from a back walking path on the way to the beach.
Here is Emma loving her new home. It took a lot of patience and biscuits to get her to sit long enough to take this picture. Scott and Emmi on the lower cliffs.

Hopefully this one needs no explanation- but just in case, it's the beach.
This is looking North from the cliffs. The land you see jetting out is known as St. Bees Head and on the far side is where the towns light house is located.
This is a better view of St. Bees head. You can hike right on the edge of the cliffs. The view is indescribable. On a clear day you can see all the way to the Isle of Man.
This is the final approach to the beach. Overall we are feeling very blessed. But how can we not be with views like these and experiences like we have had and those that are surely left to come.