What a whirlwind...

The end of this week will mark a month of my being here. Time has flown by! But we have really done so much in the time that it is no surprise. 

I was so bogged down with jet lag the first week, and we were traveling the second and third week with Marcus (Hans and Norma's son), that I haven't really gotten to write much about everything we did or go through any pictures till now. 

First, the Normandy trip.

We did just an overnight trip, but dang these crazy(awesome) people know how to see a lot in a little bit of time. We left super early, so I had my happy morning face on, but I was so excited to road trip to and through France!

  By the way, one of the secrets to morning Katina is bribing her with coffee...don't speak, don't touch, don't hover; just bring very strong coffee and slowly back away. If you try to overload her with information, you will be rewarded with caveman like grunts, growls, and if you get especially annoying (or really lucky, depending how you view things) there will be biting.  And while you're at it, freshly baked pastries are also helpful. I'm just putting this out there for anyone to utilize in the future...

                                         

  Still in Belgium. Obviously, we in the states need to ramp up our marketing game. Love this. 

                                    

                          Not a very dynamic photo, but I had to capture us driving over the Seine.

        

                                                                    Bam. France. 

We headed straight for the American war memorial and cemetery. While I was feeling giddy in the car at the thought of being on the beach again, the feeling of solemnity as we were walking into the memorial put my mood in its proper place for the experience. 

I am not a history buff. I don't do well with memorizing facts and dates, but I do love hearing stories of real people, who despite their circumstances choose to live and fight for the good of others instead of preserving their own skin. 

                                    

      

It was actually incredibly moving for me. I have never been super patriotic. I have always associated patriotism with people being closed-minded to other cultures and being waaaaaay to stuck-up, prideful, and pigheaded about "our way being the best way;" people being 'merica this, 'merica that, loud, obnoxious, and mulleted. Haha. 

But in all seriousness, I was filled with a great sense of pride for our soldiers, for how much they gave up for what they believed in. Many were so young and left families to serve and save the world from destruction. 

                                     

                   

We watched stories of different individuals who went to fight. 

It really made history come alive for me.

After the museum, you walk out into the cemetery where you see row, after row, after row of white crosses. So much death and so much tragedy. It almost felt wrong for the day to be so beautiful. 

                               

                               

After the cemetery we made the trek down to the beaches. It was hard to imagine it filled with boats, soldiers, and blood because the day was absolutely lovely. 

Even though there is a sense of heaviness with so much violence and death, there is also a sense of...resolution, a settledness, not peace...I can't find the right word, but anyway...they accomplished what they set out to do and there is a silent strength in that. (Or perhaps I am just overthinking and way over-romaticizing it, but it seemed legitimate to me...) 

                             

                              

                             

                                Not gonna lie, I was still pretty giddy about the beach. 

I tossed my shoes off, rolled my pants up, and chased the waves. 

Still managed to get my pants wet...I always go in too far. 

                                   

                                              Hans caught me taking pictures. 

                                                         Finding seashells. 

Looking back through these pictures, I am wondering why I left that stupid cardigan on!?! It was warmish, but I guess I was just being lazy. (You were totally wondering the same thing. Admit it.) 

Ok, I was planning to get through both days in one go, but sleep, bed, pillow friends... Calling me...

It's taking longer to blink...

Part 2 tomorrow!