THE THOMPSONS INVADE EUROPE!
Where do I start? It has been a crazy start to the year. In January, the whole clan went to England to bug Jake and Ruthie, then we headed to France just so the Parisians would be convinced that Americans really are as rude and selfish as they thought! HA! But that's another story, way too long for a blog page. Here we are in front of the Eiffel tower. I can't stand taking a picture without doing something goofy. My husband loves it.
This next pic is of me, getting ambushed by some crazy Frenchmen, who I am pretty sure had a little too much wine at 10:00 in the morning. I was walking from the Eiffel tower, minding my business, freezing my butt off at this point, wearing two coats, and carrying a box of pastries that we had bought that morning, but they were so pretty, we didn't want to eat them. So, I have the box, and I'm wearing two coats, I'm sure looking pretty miserable. Here's the scenario: Your a Parisian, it's Sunday morning, you've just had a breakfast of chocolate and wine (I'm pretty sure that's all they eat), so you're feeling pretty good. You're bored. What next? Well, go harass tourists at the Eiffel tower, of course! These men grab my box of pastries and start chanting something in French, that I have NO IDEA what they are saying. They catch on pretty quick that I have no clue and start jumping up and down, pulling on the box, and scaring me to death! The wife in the bunch is trying to make them stop, I'm pulling on the box, (I paid a lot of money for these pastries, I'm NOT letting them go!) they're pulling on the box, and the wife is slapping their hands. She'd get one hand off, and they'd put their other hand on it. As you can see in the picture, my mother, who WAS right beside me, is now off to the side yelling, "SAVE THE CHOCOLATE!" You would think someone's MOTHER would protect their child from harm. Thanks a lot mom, remind me not to walk down a dark alley with YOU in tow. Not to mention my HUSBAND, who you would think would be trying to rescue me. Oh nooooooo.....he's too busy TAKING PICTURES!!!! Who does this weird crap happen to? ME of course, even in another cou
ntry, weird things happen to me. I have to say, it was something I
don't think I'll ever forget!
Back in 
England, 
Jake gave us a whirlwind tour of Oxford and the surrounding sites. Here's a pic of him in his natural habitat. (Both his workplace, and the pub). He wasn't kidding around when he told us it was cold in England. We thought, 40 degrees, that's not cold! It doesn't even freeze there! What he didn't mention, is that the English do not believe in HEAT. No heat, anywhere. Just small radiator things that feel slightly warm to the touch. So, imagine never heating your home or workplace. After a few months of that in the winter, everything would start to feel pretty darned cold. And it does. The first night, I slept with my sweatshirt, sweatpants, socks, and I would have worn a hat if I had brought one. FREEZING! English people seem to be a little stand-offish, and very rigid. DUH, that's because they are freezing and starving to death! No fat people, anywhere. Needless to say, my husband and I felt pretty out of place. I will say that all that walking instead of driving is obviously a good thing. We should do more of it in America. But, think about what you believe when you see someone biking down the street here. First thought. "He must have lost his license for DUI." Right? It's strange how walking or biking here seems to hold that stigma. I have too many stories to publish in this one page, so it will have to continue with several posts. However, I am so excited to announce that my little sister is having a BABY!
After doctors told her that she only had a 10% chance of ever getting pregnant, she gets a "surprise"! No matter, this baby is a miracle, and we are so excited for her! Her little girl is due in June, and her name will be Aaralyn Je. Congratulations! We can't wait to have a baby in the family! So many things to tell, not enough space. I will end with a picture of my mother sitting in the pub where Clinton did not inhale.
Kinda looks like maybe she did though! That's payback for not saving me from the Frenchmen...JO JO JO! (That's me laughing in French!)
