London, England: Day 2

Friday, Nov. 21: (Day 2)
After a great breakfast at our hotel, we met up for a guided bus tour. It was called the Imperial Tour, and covered walking tours of all the greatest attractions in the area. We saw Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, House of Parliament, Big Ben, Victoria Tower, a ground level view of the London Eye,  Waterloo Bridge views, Trefalgar Square

The crew in front of Buckingham Palace.

Our tour guide, flagging everyone down.

 A lovely carriage, heading down the lane.

Victory Square 

A statue dedicated to Queen Victoria, and our princess Sarah at the foot of the statue.

The Palace.

Our next stop took us over to a collection of the classical sights. Westminster Abbey came first, with this gorgeous view:

And on our walk over to The Houses of Parliament, we passed lots of statues. This particular one had out tour guide tickled, because in all of his investigations, he could find no information explaining the presence of Abraham Lincoln's statue hanging out there between the religious and government hotbeds of London, England. 

And at the same statue, here we have our first walking view of Big Ben. It blew my mind a little bit, how centrally located everything was. I thought we'd have to travel a bit more to get to some of these places. Or, at least hop on the bus again between Parliament's buildings/Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. 

And there he is! Big Ben himself.

The view from Big Ben (or now, apparently, Elizabeth Tower) at one end of the Houses of Parliament to the other, with the Victoria Tower

Houses of Parliament

Because of terrorist threat, the monuments around the government buildings were fenced off and guarded. 

From there, we hopped back onto the bus and drove over the bridge to Trefalgar Square. It was starting to get dark, but it was really gorgeous.

Crossing the bridge, with a great view of the Houses of Parliament

Peeking at the Eye of London

Statues in Trefalgar Square. 

The statues put in three of the four corners of the Square have been selected by public subscription, and because there was so much division over the fourth corner -- they now have a changing installment. During our time there, it happened to be a blue rooster.

London, England: Day 1

Thursday, Nov. 20: First London evening explorations (Day 1)

Hyde Park Suite at our hotel, the gorgeous Thistle Marble Arch Hotel for our welcome dinner, but first, some local cuisine!

This great little place was right around the corner from our hotel.

 

They had the best atmosphere and decorations I've seen in a while. I didn't take nearly enough photos. Loved the little details!

Eee!

My first official English fish and chips ^.^

Peas come with everything!

Wedding Photos

September 6th, 2014: The Day I Married My Best Friend

Courtesy the photographic genius of Kauffman Photography

September 6th, I was blessed beyond reason when I married my best friend and perfect match.

Love you all, and thank you for being a part of our day :)

Our family and beloved friends, either childhood or devoted despite the distance, made up our wedding party. They all looked fantastic, and my baby sister (also a bridesmaid) made all of the bouquets and boutonnieres. It was a perfect wildflower wedding.

My adoptive mama, Shawn, walked me down the aisle

and Steven's mom, Sandy, who is acting as our officiant, tried not to lose it as she started the ceremony.

Prayers before the ceremony or any other words or deeds were committed. This day, after all, was about becoming a family under a witnessed covenant to God. This was about so much more that the "I love you"s we'd spoken. This was about being joined together by the Holy Spirit, and to become one. One family, one unit, unbreakable, and unassailable to the evils of the world. Our relationship and family came under the protection of the family and prayers of God and His people. It is about so much more than words.

Our photographers were wonderful enough to capture the moments from different angles as well :) 

The moment he became 'husband'.

The moment I became 'wife'.

/blush.

April and Danielle, ready to get the party started.

Our new family unit. 

A little butterfly decided to bless us with her presence right before the walk down the aisle. She stayed until after the vows, as Steven, Sarah, and I walked back up as a family.

In front of the Chapel.

The whole crew: post-ceremony, pre-party

Speeches happened, and people cried.

We had our first dance,

and then everyone else joined in.

It was a day of love. 

Not only for each other as a newly married couple, but between our families. 

Both sides accepted, with open arms, this new family. 

It was all love and laughter.

 It was a beautiful day, and two loving families became one.

He makes my whole world brighter.

And I'm a better person for having known the man I proudly call, 'husband'.

Home-made Burn Salve

Some people are born with natural grace and poise, walking through life like models, nary a broken high-heel or misstep. Some people can handle themselves like professional athletes, perfectly balanced and responsive to their ever-changing environment.

I, however, am not one of them. Driving the point home, my family gifted my baby sister and me affectionate nicknames. Together, we are Uh-Oh and Whoopsie. Interchangeable and painfully descriptive, we share this joint identity. Hospitals, medications, bandages, identifying poison oak, and  the distinct skill of being able to pick up broken glass with bare fingers, are all a part of childhood memories. We even have a recent Christmas ornament we (jokingly?) made of a cracked mirrored Christmas tree, signed and proudly displayed.

So,  I've been doing a lot of experimentation with essential oils recently, and with that as a background, first aid awareness seemed a natural extension. Today, I accidentally found the perfect burn salve. While working on a string of new baking experiments, I pulled a cast iron pan out of the oven and it slipped. Instincts being what they are, I decided to catch the falling 400 degree pan with my bare hand. ....... /sigh. So, with one blistering, throbbing hand under cold running water, I devised this little treasure of a salve.

If you're anything near as accident prone as me or my Whoopsie, keep this one handy.

Caramel Apple suckers, not necessary. But recommended.

What You Need: 

Apple Cider Vinegar - Raw, to reap the healing benefits; to wash minor cuts or burns


Salve: 
Aloe Vera: This blog has an article I found very helpful about harvesting Aloe gel directly from the                       plant, otherwise just use the store bought gel. It feels like handling a giant booger, so that                     may be the less gag-inducing option.
Coconut oil
Raw honey
Essential oils: Lavender, Thieves, Frankincense

I used Young Life essential oils, therapeutic grade.
I'm a distributor, so let me know if you ever need any!

Before you apply the salve, do what I didn't the first time, and cleanse the area with raw Apple Cider Vinegar. My excuse is that my brain stopped working from the throbbing pain, and my hope is that yours won't. Washing with the raw vinegar will help restore vitamins and minerals to your skin and provide a naturally sterile surface to apply the salve. But folks, use discretion. If it's a gaping wound or severe burn, seek help for it. This may be a decent temporary solution, but don't risk continued damage if it's serious. And don't use butter. Just don't.

To make the salve, I slapped some ingredients together a bit haphazardly. These are the measurements I went back and adjusted to. 

• 3-4 drops Lavender essential oil
• 1-2 drops Frankincense essential oil
•  2-3 drops Thieves essential oil
• 1 TBSP raw honey
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 full leaf from the Aloe Vera plant, which would probably equate to roughly 1-2 TBSP 

After cleansing the area with apple cider vinegar, apply the burn salve to the area. Cover in gauze or a band-aid to keep the salve in a concentrated place so the burn can heal. I soaked the band-aid in the salve, and since I had it available, sliced a piece of the aloe plant and used it to continue to cool the burn.

Aloe Vera, with the spiky sides cut off.

So far, it seems to be working pretty well. I'm happy, despite that last photo. The blistering has come under control, the pain is significantly reduced, and it's stopped throbbing entirely. Smells pretty good too, which I consider a perk. 

Oil Pulling

    The last thing the world needs is another blog post on oil pulling, so I thought I'd highlight the articles and research bits that influenced my decision to try it. My background coming into oil pulling was hearing about two friends, both into natural approaches over chemical but both very right of center, and analytical. Then, Pinterest articles started showing up. Then science and news, and the day I added coconut oil to my grocery list I received a text from my cousin about how she was trying this new oil pulling thing :)

    So, some of my research for those individuals who are trying to decide:

    Now, Snopes doesn't believe in oil pulling, as you'll see if you follow the link: http://www.snopes.com/medical/homecure/oilpulling.asp but it seems that their disbelief stems largely from the anecdotal evidence and lack of scientific, to which I ask -- in light of the apparent lack of studies, where do we turn?

    Some generally accepted common sense.

    Prevention Magazine makes the comment that, "While there’s no evidence showing that oil pulling can cure specific health issues, experts do agree that plaque in the mouth is associated with more serious problems, like heart attack or stroke. “People look at the mouth as isolated, but it’s the window to the entire body. Allowing bad bacteria to get into the bloodstream can affect systemic health,” Emery says. 

    You can read the whole article here: http://www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/whats-deal-oil-pulling

    Authority Nutrition: Oil Pulling with Coconut Oil Can Transform Your Dental Health
http://authoritynutrition.com/oil-pulling-coconut-oil/

So, whichever way you decide, it's as easy as this: 

 

And yes, the whole 10-20min thing was intimidating. But it goes by quicker than you think.