While we were in Boerne, Texas for Thanksgiving we went with Jimmy, Paige and the family to the Alamo. It was great to visit again and remember our history. The Riverwalk was beautiful and we could not have asked for better weather.
Eli is adorable, isn’t she?
Another year has come and now my Jed is 27. I know it’s crazy. We spent the day with family and friends and Jed had his favorite — blueberry cheesecake!
After Rome, we decided it was best to head back to the US instead of throwing rocks in Athens with the rest of the protesters. We spent the holidays between Dallas, San Antonio and Houston.
We also went to Maui and Park City to do some snowboarding. Obviously, we’re not very good at sitting still.
Soon after arriving in Dallas, we insisted on helping my best friend re-do a room for her much anticipated arrival of her baby girl. It all started with cleaning out the man cave. This was after 2 days of moving things:
I was lucky enough to have the help of Jed and my mom to prep the room and get things painted. Amber picked colors that corresponded to her bedding which will be separated by a chair-rail.
The project should have only taken a day or two given that Jed and are are pretty much professional painters at this point but since both my mom and I are major perfectionists with it comes to that line between the ceiling and the wall, it took us many extra hours.
Mike, Amber’s husband, even let us paint silver glitter in the ceiling paint and hung up a chandelier. It looked fantastic!
I seriously underestimated how cool Europe was going to be. Rome was no exception.
THE ITALIAN COUNTRYSIDE
As we crossed the Italian countryside, olive groves and sprawling vineyards began to gradually give way to coastal villas. Miki and I both had the same thought as we passed by some of the more extravagant castle-like estates: let’s live there someday. Even if it’s only for a month.
All daydreaming aside, when our train neared Rome I was stoked. After checking into yet another baller Marriott, we headed out to enjoy one of the best parts of Italian culture: the food!
ITALIAN CUISINE TO DIE FOR
I’ve always been a big fan of authentic Italian cuisine. Pasta, lasagna, Alfredo sauced (is that a word?) whatever, bring it on. It was a brisk walk, but not far from our hotel we found a local place that looked promising.
After sitting down, we quickly made friends with the couple sitting next to us. The guy was a cab driver, so he spoke great English and we struck up a conversation. However his girlfriend spoke strictly Italian, so we had to pause periodically so he could translate.
As a couple of young Americans trying to decipher an italian menu, they were a great help. They even offered to let us try the food off their plates – Miki liked the ravioli dish so much she ordered it. Talk about hospitality.
MARRIED YOUNG?
We continued chatting with our new-found friends as we made our way through an excellent dinner. They were amazed that we had only known each other a year and were already married – and at such a young age too!
THE SPEED THAT PAINT DRIES
They were in their mid-40s and had been dating for several years. Coming from LDS culture where getting married at 27 (and dating for 8 months before becoming engaged) is more likely to draw a comparison to the speed that moss grows and paint dries, it was a different perspective for sure.
LIKE OVERTHROWING DICTATORSHIPS IN OIL-RICH REGIONS
It’s interesting to note what a huge difference there is between American attitudes about dinner vs Europeans in general. (esp Italians) In America, dinner is maybe an hour – max. In Italy? It’s a 2-3 hour affair. And not just on the weekends, but every night.
Back home – unless it’s a Friday night out with friends, in which case it might go to an hour and a half – it’s not uncommon to be totally done in a half hour. And it’s rarely more than 1 course, with maybe a salad or soup on the side. Not so for Europeans.
Dinner is routinely 3-4 courses with salads, wine, a starter course, more wine, a main course, more wine and maybe some cheese, and dessert is always a must. A bottle of wine is as much the main course as the food.
On the other hand, Americans approach eating food like we approach overthrowing dictatorships in oil-rich regions – lets git-er-done! and be finished in time to watch the game. Dessert? maybe.
It’s definitely not an every night deal – at least not where I’m from. It was cool to adjust to a different style of dining. As enjoyable as it was to chat and eat for hours, there were for sure times when my impatience would get the better of me and I just wanted to say “Give me my $&$*! food so I can get on with my evening! jeez…” These were of course rare moments, as we enjoyed hanging out with our european friends as much as we enjoyed the awesome food 
On second thought, perhaps there’s a cultural correlation between food and relationships.
Maybe we marry at the speed we eat. . .
-JED
Ever since watching the movie the Italian Job, Venice has always had a somewhat mystical appeal to me. We caught the train from Florence, ready for a day of fun in northern Italy.
As the only major city in the world with waterways instead of roadways, we were stoked to do some sightseeing. Little did we know how much excitement would be waiting for us when we got there.
A RUN-IN WITH THE RIOT POLICE
After disembarking at the train station, we wandered through the maze-like streets eating fresh gelato and snapping a few pictures. As we came around a corner, we ran straight into a protest. Three dozen police in full riot gear were engaged in a standoff with a group of protesters chanting in Italian.
Half interested, half ready to bolt we watched as one of the hippie protesters lit off a smoke bomb and a tv camera crew mingled with the red smoke. They were chanting slogans in italian and one crazy chick was yelling stuff over a bullhorn. I think the riot police looked ready to give the whole lot of them a nice beat down. So crazy.
As we learned later, it was all part of the “Occupy” movement protesting tuition price spikes and bank bailouts. We watched for a few minutes and then headed off to see the Piazza San Marco and St. Mark’s Basilica.
THE SQUARE
As the legend goes, Napoleon called the basilica the “most beautiful dining room in all of Europe.”
Michelle humored me as I engaged in one of my favorite past times -namely, buying crusty old bread and feeding a hundred or so pigeons in the main square. It’s cool right up until you look over and a 3 yr. old toddler is doing the same thing. What can I say? There’s a kid in all of us.
After walking around the square and admiring the basilica, we headed back through the maze of streets to catch our train back to Florence.
We all have days like this, but this one really made me wonder: how did I get so lucky?
We’ve stayed in several 4 & 5 star resorts during the course of our honeymoon, and each one has been a fantastic experience. Little did I know that when we checked into our hotel in London, it would top them all.
The St. Pancras Marriott at King’s Cross first strikes you as an old-fashioned train station that was eventually converted to a hotel. As I walked into the Grand Lobby, I was struck by a feeling of amazement at how big – and how nice! – everything was. Everything had a rustic yet elegant feel to it. Before we even made it to our room to settle in, we were met by an employee offering us a drink or a snack. Everywhere we went it was “what can we do for you Sir” and “of course, anything you want Mr. Rawson”. Perhaps the most humorous part to me was the usual demographic that posts up in a place like this: senior business executives, retired old guys with money to burn, and grandmas & grandpas on vacation. During our entire stay, I don’t think we saw another person under 4o. Considering the price tag for a single night stay, it wasn’t hard to see why.
As we checked into our room, it became apparent what made it a 5-star. We hadn’t been settled in for more than a few minutes when there was a knock at the door. It was room service with a bottle of chilled champagne, compliments of the manager. Apparently they had picked up on the fact that it was our honeymoon, and the free present was meant to make us feel welcome. It was somewhat difficult to explain why we were turning down free alcohol, but kind of funny in that Steve Carell/the Office sort of awkward fashion. They left with a bewildered expression but we accepted the free munchies instead. It felt great to sink into fresh sheets, and an all-granite bathroom only made the place more inviting.
After a hot shower and dropping our backpacks, we headed to the VIP lounge. Since Miki used to travel extensively for work, she still has status with Marriott. Not having had time to change her last name before we left the States, every thing is still under Michelle’s maiden name and it soon became “and the same for you, Mr. Kirk?” I guess that’s one of the perks of marrying up. The VIP lounge was like the Walmart of snacks – everything you could want for one great low price: free! After stuffing our pockets with fresh fruit and drinking all the soda we could stomach, we headed out for a night on the town.
Not only was our hotel the nicest place I’ve ever stayed, but for all the Harry Potter fans out there it was directly above the subway at King’s Cross, home of the famous Platform 9 & 3/4. At several hundred dollars a night, we would have a challenge on our hands getting our money’s worth. It was a pleasant challenge we were more than happy to take on. . .
When you travel for a while its difficult to know when a flood will happen, an earthquake will strike, a riot will break out or a ferry will sink. Sometimes things just happen that are beyond your control:
Greece Faces ‘Hellish Week’ as Debt Crisis Tests Nation
http://www.cnbc.com/id/44931473
Including all air traffic controllers going on strike. Exciting!
Athens general strike turns deadly as violent rioters attack demonstrators
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2011/10/20/2011-10-20_athens_general_strike_turns_deadly.html#ixzz1bNzMwb2w
