Thank You

Wow. That's all I can say. Just, wow. You all know how to encourage a person, don't you? Thanks, from the bottom of my heart, for all the LOVELY things you've had to say. If I'm having a tough day, I know just what to read to cheer me up. THANK YOU!!!

Remember, for those of you who haven't had a chance to enter the Amazon gift card give-away, you have until midnight tonight! I'll announce the winner on Monday.

Let's Finish Up the Tour

Shall we? The Bellagio water fountain show is spectacular at night.

A view at Caesar's Palace on the walk back to our hotel:

The same view the next morning:

Finally, we visit Rome. Well, Caesar's Palace.

I was ecstatic to meet up with my favorite sculpture!!

Maybe not quite as stunning as she is at the top of a lonely, magnificent staircase at the Louvre, but gorgeous, all the same.

A mosaic masterpiece inside the casino:

Heading next door to the Bellagio to watch the fountains in daylight:

Blue skies and bright sunlight. What a way to end our romantic get-away!

This concludes our Around the World tour. Thanks for joining me!

Wonder

If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life.

~Rachel Carson

There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.

~Walt Steightiff

I thought this photo of Leif riding the train on his first day at Disneyland was a perfect example of Wonder! Go check out all the great photos at i heart faces this week.

Celebrate!

Today is Mt. Hope Chronicles' second anniversary! When I began this adventure two years ago, I little dreamed that I would still be here 24 months and 703! posts later. We had just moved into our forever home and big-man Leif was only 6 months old:

I originally wondered whether I would run out of things to say, to share, to dream. It turns out that my list gets longer with each passing day. I have so many things in store for this blog in just the next few months! I have questions about homeschooling, photography, and design to finish answering (I will, I promise). More vacation pictures to share, book reviews, deep thoughts on life and lovely, a new series coming up, as well as an exciting new project I am collaborating on with my sister... Trust me, you won't want to miss it!

I wondered whether anyone would read what I had to say, or enjoy seeing life through my lens. And, look, you're still here! Some of you have been around for most of the two years, some of you are new to Mt. Hope, but I am thankful for each and every one of you.

To show you how much I appreciate you,

I am giving away a $30 Amazon gift card.

To enter this contest, please leave a comment on this post! If you're feeling up to it, introduce yourself (especially if you haven't commented before), let me know how long you've been reading, what posts you've enjoyed or found helpful in the past, or what you would like to read in the future. Please don't be shy! Commenting is easy. Grin.

This contest will be open until midnight on Saturday, February 21st. I will announce the winner on Monday, February 23rd.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to remind you that I've set up a virtual bookshop, Mt. Hope Literary Buffet, through Amazon to share my favorite titles with you. Be sure to check out the various categories in the box on the right hand side. Many of the categories have sub-categories, as well.


You can always access this store by clicking on the icon on my side bar. Yes, I do receive a small percentage of each purchase, even if you simply access Amazon through my site and purchase books other than ones I've recommended. For some of you, this may be a simple way to support Mt. Hope Chronicles.



See you in the comments!

New York and Egypt, Too!

I know that Russ loves me very much. He consented to ride the roller coaster (pictured below) by my side. What a blast to ride in the cold night air, illuminated by the dizzy, crazy lights of Las Vegas.

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me.

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

~ Emma Lazarus, from The New Colossus
(Inscribed on a plaque at the base
of the (real) Statue of Liberty.)

Inside the casino:


Isn't the New York City skyline beautiful?

Let's walk a block and visit Egypt while we're at it:

I wonder where we'll travel next?!

Speaking of Paris

I'm inspired to share just a few photos of the real thing for comparison. Grin. We visited (the real) Paris in 2003.

The photo below shows Russ and me walking toward the Eiffel Tower under a black umbrella on a gray, drizzly day. Isn't that classic?!

And while we're at it, how about a few views of the real Arc de Triomphe. Smile.

Paris

'Paris is always a good idea.'

~The movie Sabrina

Nostalgic. It has been almost 6 years since we stood together in front of the (real) Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Inside the casino:

The sun continues to set:

No trip to Paris is complete

without seeing the Arc de Triomphe.

Enjoying the water fountain show at the Bellagio,

gazing in the direction of Paris:

We returned the next afternoon to watch the fountain in bright sunlight. I read Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris (and snacked on chocolate) in the view of the Eiffel Tower while waiting for the next show. That's my idea of vacation.

The Eiffel Tower and palm trees. Incongruous, no?