Cow Patties and Steer Nuts

I decided I couldn't return from my trip to Texas without bringing back a sample of the local fare. I suppose the food is pretty normal, but the names sure are entertaining!

Random Happenings

My brother Mark graduated from BYU with a Biology degree! He will be taking the DAT and applying to dental school. We had a fun time with my parents who came down for the weekend. Congratulations Mark we are proud of you!

A turtle treehouse!

Basking is an essential part of a turtle's life! It allows them to dry out their shell completely in order to prevent mold and other health problems, and it allows them to regulate their body temperature because turtles are cold blooded reptiles. Two types of lights, a heat light, and a UVB light are what allows aquatic turtles to live healthy indoors. Poor Tobias had gotten so big, she had out grown her last platform which at best was mediocre! We were guilt ridden when we saw her barely on it with her legs and arms hanging off with half of it sinking in the water. We found this cool basking platform online a real sanctuary that is entirely held above the water with a small platform underwater for resting on. It's built much better and is a perfect size for her. I wish I had kept a few pictures of the last one so you could see what an upgrade it really is! Brandon was so excited when it came in the mail, he set it up and put her in to check it out! So far she seems to love it and that makes us happy! In a sense it's her own clubhouse!

Easy access up the ramp from the water!

She sleeps underwater and enjoyed resting on this submerged platform last night.

Out with the bright colored fish tank and rainbow bright comforter and in with soft colors and items that remind me of my favorite place- the beach! I love this light teal bed spread and shams (target) light comforter and duvet cover (target as well). The lamp was a TJ Max buy, the airy window panels I found at Lowes of all places
I found this cool ocean print at art.com and added some fun accessories with these apothecary jars. They are filled with polished stones, rubbed glass, and sea shells
I've been loving lanterns lately and I found this cool one at Pier One. Instead of putting a candle inside I decided to add some much needed color to my hearth and placed a few flowers inside. Some spider gerber daisies on the bottom with an orchid branch suspended above. Here's a decorating rule: always group in things in odd numbers, like ones and threes.

To remember our stay in Paris I brought home an oil painting I had purchased from a local artist along the street of the Seine River in Paris outside the Louvre. When I got home I had a local store stretch the canvas and frame it. I think it turned out nice. It will remind me of the romantic city we spent our 2 year anniversary in!

London Part III

Wednesday we went to St. Paul's Cathedral and The Tower of London. Brandon and I both agreed St. Paul's Cathedral was our favorite place to visit in London. It might have been because we took a guided tour so we learned a lot of cool interesting facts, but the sheer beauty was also amazing as well. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the cathedral but we were able to take a couple inside a stair well. The metal sculpture suspended in the air was on display by a local artist and is not part of the Cathedral. To read some of it's history you can visit this site here. Recently 40 million has been donated to help clean and restore the interior stone to it's "whiteness." Sir Christopher Wren, who oversaw the entire project, made sure no stained glass was used just clear glass so the church wasn't so dark inside. I was really impressed at how light and open the church felt. The glass mosaics were incredible as was the iron work and wood carvings.

After the tour, we ate lunch and headed to the metro. On our way we stopped in front of the London Stock Exchange for a photo op. (Brandon's company works with the London, US, and Asian stock exchanges)

The Afternoon was spent exploring the Tower of London, a great riverside fortress know for it's place of imprisonment. Originally a moated fort, the White Tower was built for William I (the conqueror) in around 1078. The fort was later added on to by various monarchs including Henry VIII, who sent two of his wives to their deaths on Tower Green. It became home to the city arsenal, the Crown Jewels, a menagerie, and the Royal Mint.

The heart of the fortress is the White Tower. It's 90 ft tall with walls 15 ft thick. It was completed in 1097 and in 1240 was whitewashed inside and out, hence its name.

It's hard to see it in this picture but this is Traitor's Gate, it was used to bring many prisoners to the tower.

This is a cool shot from inside the Tower of London. Tower bridge is just off in the distance on the Thames River.

I don't know how they can stand completely still upon hours. It was freezing cold and people were taking pictures! When we saw the Crown Jewels the security was pretty tight inside, not to mention thick steel doors. They were pretty incredible though, always a girl's best friend!

In this area, they had actors acting the part of William the Conqueror, it was pretty funny and entertaining.