Europa! Dedicated to the Courtneys.

Lori and I have been slowly building a head of enthusiasm for our trip to Europe.  When we first started planning it we were a little meh about the whole thing, and I think I've figured out why

For Lori:
1 - She's never been outside of the country - expect for Canada near the Niagara falls, and Mexico, somewhere in Texas.  In neither case was a US passport required.  So it doesn't really count.  And I think I would anti-enthusiastic if all trips outside of the country were like those to border town Mexico.
2 - She didn't believe me when I told her earlier this year that I wanted to go to Europe at the end of this year. 
3 - We didn't have any tickets purchased.  So it was just just one of Jared's grand scemes.  Which by the way come true more and more often, the older I get.

For Jared:
1 - Travel is tough and my back really doesn't like to travel much anymore.
2 - Lori wasn't excited, or as excited as I wanted her to be.  This Europe bomb was dropped on her for Mother's day - kind of because I didn't buy her anything, I had been mulling it over for a while, and because it was a perfect time to make it look like the best 1st time mother's day gift ever.  Try to beat that all you shlopps of husbands/children out there.  Hah!
3 - He is a cheapskate and thinks that the money is better spent on Mortgages and fun things like that.

But recently the head of enthusiasm has been building.  Lori and I have a few concrete plans.  We found some killer inexpensive lodging through an inside connection of mine who is pretty much everywhere and knows pretty much everybody.  In a blasphemous analogy he is kind of like the Holy Ghost.  He is only in only one place (San Francisco to be exact) but his presence is felt everywhere.  This entity being know as Craigslist.  To take the analogy a little further, the Holy Ghost bears wisdom and truth, while Craigslist communicates information and items for sale.  Too bad craisglist also sells prostitution, while the Holy Ghost testifies of the absolute truth we all know, but sometimes need a reminder of, that Jesus Christ is literally the saviour of the world.

So via craigslist, we found housing for 35 euros a night in Paris and the same in London for two people, compared to $68 a night per person (so $140 per night in a hostel - a freaking hostel, where you share toothbrushes with everybody else and showers, and bathrooms and bunkbeds!)  So we opted for the craigslist cheapo lodging.  We even found and emailed a flat listing in London 5 minute walk from Kings Crossing, which is pretty much the central hub of all of London's tubes (subway).  So that there are fewer tube connections, so more sights so more fun.  The equation for fun in London is like this

Londone fun = time at sights = 1/time traveling to/from sites = 1/number of connections  = 1/time spent underground.

I don't know what the fun equation in Paris is like, but I assume it might be something like this

Paris fun =
number of pastries eaten (if # of pastries is less than or equal to the total amount of calories for all other food) =
number of times a frenchman says oooo, hhha, haa =
number of times a frenchwoman says oooh, lla, lla =
number of mirrors looked through in the sun palace at Versaille =
number of silent letters in the french phrase, "In Paris I can have my cake and eat it too"
.
So we are pretty much excited about these sweet deals, and their sweet location, and the number of funs we are going to have.  Don't worry we'll post everything, so you can remember us when you go through your list of people you are jeoulous of.

So I need to go get going.  It is 7:23 am and I've already put Katie down for a nap.  No, not woken her up from her night's slumber.  Nope, we are on sleep routine cycle #2 already.  Too bad I have to go to work and be awake and alert and productive.  This blog post was written at roughly 20 words a minute, so I can tell its going to be a long day - and I've got a ton of deadlines coming up.  The validation manager can't be hired soon enough!

Love you all.  This blog is dedicated to the Courtney's; one who scolds us for not blogging, and the other who we scold for never blogging, even when she comes back from a cruise in the Carribean but cannot find time to actually blog about it.   I hope this blog makes you repentant.