We just had INDIAN food delivered to our door...
and it was amazing...and it gets better every time (tonight was number 3-i know, i know, we have been here for 3 months, but we just don't eat out much).
there was a survey in Britain asking what was the British National food... and it was curry (there are about fifty different types of curry on a standard menu).
so I think it's safe to say, that British food is not bad...heck it's even good! well--that is if you're eating at the local Indian restaurant.
Showing posts with label national pride. Show all posts
Showing posts with label national pride. Show all posts
Friday, December 5, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
a sobering and touching activity
This last week was Remembrance day. It's celebrated as Veterans Day in the U.S. But here, it is specifically in Remembrance of the First World War and other wars are remembered in conjunction. One of my favorite things that they do here is wear Poppy pins throughout the end of October all the way up to Remembrance day.
Why do they wear poppies? I will tell you.
After the first World War the fields and meadows of Europe were devastated. They had been bombed, trampled, and bled upon by hundreds upon thousands of men. After this great destruction, the first sign of life that emerged were the blood-red poppies. These poppies surrounded and engulfed the bodies and graves of men buried throughout the meadows of Europe. As one of the speakers said in our ward last Sunday, it is no coincidence that the creator of the world designed the blood-red poppy to be the first sign of life after such great destruction. It is the perfect color for remembrance--for the blood that has been shed by those men and women for our freedom, and ultimately the blood shed by our Savior for our eternal freedom. The poppy is a great testament to those who have died on our behalf and that it is possible to rebuild even in the wake of great destruction. (For more read "Flander's Fields")
For this reason, on Saturday night, Branden and spent an hour or two reading this site.
It is a special report/publication done by the Wall Street Journal. It has all of the men and women who have died during the Iraq war. It includes all nationalities (there are quite a few Brits, Poles, and a few others) and indicates the date of death for each soldier. It is a way to show not only the statistics of the war, but it gives a quick description of each soldier, given by the mother, friend, aunt, teacher, wife, or whomever the WSJ could get to comment on the man or woman. I cannot tell you how incredible it is to read the eulogies for these soldiers. I have watched so many specials on TV that try and convey the life and death of soldiers in Iraq. But so often the story is sensationalized and the true character or beauty of that person's life is lost in the rapid-fire pictures, sappy music, and ridiculous narrating (sorry Jessica, I know you are newswoman...but sometimes it's just too much :). But these short descriptions... they are like a breath of fresh air. And I cried. I cried for the lost lives, the lost love, and the incredible bravery and strength of these men and women. I have cut and pasted a few of them. Please go to this site. It's sobering and refreshing to see every single one of our lost servicemen and women being remembered.
Why do they wear poppies? I will tell you.After the first World War the fields and meadows of Europe were devastated. They had been bombed, trampled, and bled upon by hundreds upon thousands of men. After this great destruction, the first sign of life that emerged were the blood-red poppies. These poppies surrounded and engulfed the bodies and graves of men buried throughout the meadows of Europe. As one of the speakers said in our ward last Sunday, it is no coincidence that the creator of the world designed the blood-red poppy to be the first sign of life after such great destruction. It is the perfect color for remembrance--for the blood that has been shed by those men and women for our freedom, and ultimately the blood shed by our Savior for our eternal freedom. The poppy is a great testament to those who have died on our behalf and that it is possible to rebuild even in the wake of great destruction. (For more read "Flander's Fields")
For this reason, on Saturday night, Branden and spent an hour or two reading this site.
It is a special report/publication done by the Wall Street Journal. It has all of the men and women who have died during the Iraq war. It includes all nationalities (there are quite a few Brits, Poles, and a few others) and indicates the date of death for each soldier. It is a way to show not only the statistics of the war, but it gives a quick description of each soldier, given by the mother, friend, aunt, teacher, wife, or whomever the WSJ could get to comment on the man or woman. I cannot tell you how incredible it is to read the eulogies for these soldiers. I have watched so many specials on TV that try and convey the life and death of soldiers in Iraq. But so often the story is sensationalized and the true character or beauty of that person's life is lost in the rapid-fire pictures, sappy music, and ridiculous narrating (sorry Jessica, I know you are newswoman...but sometimes it's just too much :). But these short descriptions... they are like a breath of fresh air. And I cried. I cried for the lost lives, the lost love, and the incredible bravery and strength of these men and women. I have cut and pasted a few of them. Please go to this site. It's sobering and refreshing to see every single one of our lost servicemen and women being remembered.
Staff Sgt. Ronald Phillips
Age: 33
Hometown: Conway, S.C.
Died: Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wanda Phillips said a moment with a South African pastor during her son's high school days was his first nudge toward service.
"God said, 'If you serve me, I'm going to take you places," she said, reading from the family's written account of what Ronald Phillips Jr. was told that day. "You're going to be able to run with young people and go with teams. You're going to countries in the world."
"All Ron heard out of that was he was going to lead teams," said his father, Ronald Phillips Sr. "Well, he was a basketball player and said, 'Oh, Daddy, I'm going overseas to play basketball.' I said, 'Boy, that ain't what that means.'"
Phillips, 33, of Conway, S.C., died Sept. 25 in Bahbahani of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an explosive. He was a 1994 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Stewart.
He was known for his love of R&B music and his ability to just draw people in, whether at football game as a child, or fishing with his three brothers as an adult.
He is survived by his wife and two young children.
Spc. Lerando J. Brown
Age: 27
Hometown: Gulfport, Miss.
Died: Saturday, March 15, 2008
BC-MS--Soldier Death
GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) _ An Army National Guard soldier from Poplarville was killed in Iraq last Friday.
Sgt. Lerando Brown was shot in the chest and killed in Balad, his wife, Candice Brown, told the Sun Herald on Tuesday.
Lerando Brown, 27, was a member of the 288th Sapper Co., based in Houston, Miss. He is at least the 60th military member with strong ties to Mississippi who has died in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan in the last five years.
Candice Brown said she was informed of her husband's death Saturday, about 36 hours after she last talked to him.
"I couldn't do anything but cry," she said of her reaction to the news. "I couldn't believe that. I was like, 'I just talked to him Friday morning and this cannot be true.'"
Candice Brown said she won't forget the silly faces her husband made to make her laugh, the 25 Christmas letters he sent from Iraq to first-graders at her school, the constant reminders through phone calls and e-mails that he loved her, and that she was his Cinderella.
"There is a part in my heart that is gone because that part of my heart ... was him," she said. "The biggest part of it is gone because he's not here."
Capt. Drew N. Jensen
Age: 27
Hometown: Clackamas, Ore.
Died: Friday, September 7, 2007
Army Capt. Drew N. Jensen
One of Drew N. Jensen's last actions in life was to look out for other wounded soldiers at the VA Hospital in Seattle.
Before his death, he designated that a $10,000 fund established in his name should go to help offset the housing costs of other families who travel far to be near their wounded loved one's bedside.
"He was an Army captain and his first thought was to take care of his men," said George Kraus, a retired Marine who helps administer the Aid to Wounded Soldier Program.
Jensen, 27, of Clackamas County, Ore., died Sept. 7 in Seattle of sniper wounds sustained May 7 in Baqubah. He was assigned to Fort Lewis. He was a 2002 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, with a bachelor's degree in history.
As his group came under fire, Jensen spotted a lone soldier pinned behind a vehicle. Darting out from shelter, Jensen ran to help.
"Drew lived life without regret," his family wrote in an obituary. "He inspired those around him by embodying the leadership qualities he believed in and had an undeniable charisma that was only enhanced by his bright white smile."
He is survived by his wife, Mardie.
"It has been rough," Candice Brown said. "I have to take it day by day. I have the Lord on my side."
I am grateful for these men and women who are sacrificing their lives for our freedom and equally to those men and women who have lost them.
Age: 33
Hometown: Conway, S.C.
Died: Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wanda Phillips said a moment with a South African pastor during her son's high school days was his first nudge toward service.
"God said, 'If you serve me, I'm going to take you places," she said, reading from the family's written account of what Ronald Phillips Jr. was told that day. "You're going to be able to run with young people and go with teams. You're going to countries in the world."
"All Ron heard out of that was he was going to lead teams," said his father, Ronald Phillips Sr. "Well, he was a basketball player and said, 'Oh, Daddy, I'm going overseas to play basketball.' I said, 'Boy, that ain't what that means.'"
Phillips, 33, of Conway, S.C., died Sept. 25 in Bahbahani of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an explosive. He was a 1994 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Stewart.
He was known for his love of R&B music and his ability to just draw people in, whether at football game as a child, or fishing with his three brothers as an adult.
He is survived by his wife and two young children.
Spc. Lerando J. Brown
Age: 27
Hometown: Gulfport, Miss.
Died: Saturday, March 15, 2008
BC-MS--Soldier Death
GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) _ An Army National Guard soldier from Poplarville was killed in Iraq last Friday.
Sgt. Lerando Brown was shot in the chest and killed in Balad, his wife, Candice Brown, told the Sun Herald on Tuesday.
Lerando Brown, 27, was a member of the 288th Sapper Co., based in Houston, Miss. He is at least the 60th military member with strong ties to Mississippi who has died in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan in the last five years.
Candice Brown said she was informed of her husband's death Saturday, about 36 hours after she last talked to him.
"I couldn't do anything but cry," she said of her reaction to the news. "I couldn't believe that. I was like, 'I just talked to him Friday morning and this cannot be true.'"
Candice Brown said she won't forget the silly faces her husband made to make her laugh, the 25 Christmas letters he sent from Iraq to first-graders at her school, the constant reminders through phone calls and e-mails that he loved her, and that she was his Cinderella.
"There is a part in my heart that is gone because that part of my heart ... was him," she said. "The biggest part of it is gone because he's not here."
Capt. Drew N. Jensen
Age: 27
Hometown: Clackamas, Ore.
Died: Friday, September 7, 2007
Army Capt. Drew N. Jensen
One of Drew N. Jensen's last actions in life was to look out for other wounded soldiers at the VA Hospital in Seattle.
Before his death, he designated that a $10,000 fund established in his name should go to help offset the housing costs of other families who travel far to be near their wounded loved one's bedside.
"He was an Army captain and his first thought was to take care of his men," said George Kraus, a retired Marine who helps administer the Aid to Wounded Soldier Program.
Jensen, 27, of Clackamas County, Ore., died Sept. 7 in Seattle of sniper wounds sustained May 7 in Baqubah. He was assigned to Fort Lewis. He was a 2002 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, with a bachelor's degree in history.
As his group came under fire, Jensen spotted a lone soldier pinned behind a vehicle. Darting out from shelter, Jensen ran to help.
"Drew lived life without regret," his family wrote in an obituary. "He inspired those around him by embodying the leadership qualities he believed in and had an undeniable charisma that was only enhanced by his bright white smile."
He is survived by his wife, Mardie.
"It has been rough," Candice Brown said. "I have to take it day by day. I have the Lord on my side."
I am grateful for these men and women who are sacrificing their lives for our freedom and equally to those men and women who have lost them.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
why the eiffel tower?
some of you may be thinking...why paris? why the eiffel tower? i will tell you why. because i am french.
branden's true nationality is yet unknown.
and so the eiffel tower graces our blog.
and.
isn't it pretty?
branden's true nationality is yet unknown.
and so the eiffel tower graces our blog.
and.
isn't it pretty?
Friday, June 13, 2008
classy
rockin this look in england would be... well...just so british.
i'm a fan...two thumbs up.
courtesy of Martin Grant (designer) and fashion spinach (fashion guru).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)