Our Mediterranean Cruise

Cole and I were lucky enough to go with the whole Robinson family and our great friends the Chipman's on a Mediterranean cruise. We had such a great time! We were able to visit Italy, Greece, Southern France and Turkey. It was definitely a trip of a lifetime! Here are a bunch of pictures from our fabulous trip!

We started out our trip in Rome! Here we are at the famous Colosseum!


Don't forget to make a wish at the Trevi Fountain!


The magnificent Vatican City


Here we are eating the BEST pizza ever with our best friends Kit and Kim!


Next stop was Monaco! It was so beautiful there!



Nice, Frace


Florence, Italy



Pisa, Italy! The Leaning Tower almost fell over while we were there! Good thing Cole was there to hold it up! (This is so cheesy, but you just can't resist getting this picture when you are there!)


Our next stop was Pompeii, the Almalfi Coast and Positano Italy



We then sailed to the Greek Isle of Santorini

I forgot to mention that my little brother Cole was able to come with us as well! It was so much fun having him with us! Here we are in front of one of the famous blue domes in Greece!


Ephesus, Turkey
It was so amazing to go to Ephesus. We learned a lot about the apostle Paul and where he would teach. The ruins were amazing, especially the huge amphitheater.



Here we are at Paul's cave.


The home of Mary. I loved seeing this and felt such a special spirit when we went inside.


Our next stop was another Greek Isle called Mykonos, it was so cute!


Next up was Athens, Greece



Olympia, Greece
We were able to see the place where the Olympic games started. There wasn't a whole lot to see but we did have a race on the original track and field.


The last Greek Isle we went to was Corfu. It was such a beautiful and relaxing little town. We were able to just spend our day here on the beach swimming.


Our last stop was in Venice, Italy. This was my favorite stop of the trip. I loved seeing the water canals with water taxis and gondolas going up and down them! It was exactly what I pictured it to be!




As you can tell our trip was AMAZING! We had such a fabulous time, with such great company! It was a trip of a lifetime!!!

GRATITUDE

A few days ago I had some rude comments said to me. I will be honest... they really bugged me, and they made me feel down on myself. Until one night I was laying in bed and starting thinking "Why would I let someones stupid, selfish comments get me down! I have so much to be grateful for!" So as I lay there in bed I started thinking of everything I have to be grateful for in my life RIGHT NOW! Needless to say, I stayed awake thinking for at least another hour. Here is a few of the things on my list!

I am grateful for:

-A wonderful and loving husband. He works so hard for me and our future family each and every day! I know that he loves and adores me, and I the same for him!

-My dog Maddie! She is such an awesome dog, and there is nothing better then coming home each day to a dog who is thrilled beyond belief to see me! I honestly feel bad for people who don't have such an awesome dog! I'm obsessed! (Oh and she cuddles with me when Cole is gone!)

-My amazing family. I honestly have the best family in the world. We all get along and love to be together! They are my best friends! I love hanging out with them on the weekends! I remember when I was in junior high and high school and it was supposedly "uncool" to have to hang out with your family on the weekends! Now that is all I want to do! They truly are the best!

-My parents, who are the most kind and generous people I know. I don't know how I got so lucky to have parents who will do anything for me. I can't express how much they mean to me! They are such great examples to us in all forms of life!

-My job!!! I absolutely love going to work each day! I don't know many people who can say that. I love teaching my 5th graders and seeing them learn new things! Also they help keep me down to earth and I love that! My students make me laugh and smile everyday, which I LOVE!

-My beautiful house! I love coming home to a place of my own. I love that Cole and I worked so hard for our house! It is gratifying to see what hard work can get you! I also love to spend my weekend puttering around the house decorating or fixing things up!

-My church calling(ward choir director). Although it has caused me many stressful nights, I have learned to love it for many different reasons! One because I have been able to begin to learn a new skill. I have never lead a choir before in my life, so it was quite the shock to get this calling. I am so lucky though because my Mom, who is a music major, has been able to teach me so much! It has been so fun to be able to spend time with my Mom and have her help me and teach me a new skill.

-My in-laws! My mother and father in-law are amazing! They are the most kind people around and truly have the most genuine hearts! They are always asking how we are and if they can help us with anything. Also I respect the way that they have raised my husband! He comes from such an amazing family! But trust me, there is never a dull moment with the Robinson clan!

-Our friends! I love that we have friends that I know we will be friends with all our lives! It is so fun to hang out as a group or go on group dates with our married friends! I can't wait for all of our kids to be friends too! It is going to be so fun!

-Our cars! How nice it is to have two cars that are in good condition and fairly new. It is such a blessing to us, and one that we definitely do not take for granted!

-My Mothers health. This past year has been hard on my family and especially my Mom. I am so grateful for her faith and silent courage in fighting! I love her so much!

-The gospel! Period.

This is just a few of the things that came into my head that night! I have so much to be grateful for, I can't even believe it! Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and forget about all the things we have and should be eternally grateful for! I encourage you to sit down and think of all of yours!

Washington D.C.

After traveling through Williamsburg, we made our way to Washington D.C.! It is such a cool city! I loved driving into D.C at night and seeing all of the monuments and the capitol all lit up! It was gorgeous! It was also great that my little sister Brecke could come down from NYC and be with us for the weekend! Love her!
Our first day in D.C. we were able to go on three tours. The first was to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, which is where all of our money is made and printed. It was amazing to see all that goes into making money! It was also amazing to see a stack of money as tall as me and the tour guide telling me it was worth 64 million dollars!!! Wow! You couldn't take pictures inside and during the tour but I was able to snap a few in the gift shop and lobby!



The sign above this says, "One million dollars in ten dollar notes." Wow!! So cool!


How tall are you in 100 dollar bills???

Cole=$1,474,500


Brecke=$1,537,800


Jocelyn=$1,537,800 (Same as Brecke!)

Our next tour was to the US Capitol Building! It was absolutely gorgeous inside.




The Capitol Rotunda- absolutely breathtaking!


That star that Brecke and I are standing on is the very center of Washington D.C. Apparently it brings good luck if you stand on it!


After touring the capitol building we made our way over to the Washington Monument. It was really exciting going up to the top and seeing the amazing views of the city!



The next day we headed to Ford's Theater, where President Lincoln was shot and killed. It was a very sobering experience seeing and hearing about the night Pres. Lincoln was shot.


The booth that the Lincoln's were sitting in.


The gun that killed Pres. Lincoln.


Blood stained pillow


After Lincoln was shot he was carried across the street to a small home, where he died later the next morning. This is the small room he died in.


Later that night we drove to some of the monuments. First, the Lincoln Memorial. It is so beautiful to see, especially at night!






Brecke and I at the White House


Cole and I at the WWII Memorial


We had such a blast on this trip! Despite the heat wave we were experiencing, it was wonderful! Thank you to the Robinson's for such fun memories!

Williamsburg, Virginia

We recently returned from a fabulous trip back east with my in-laws. We first ventured our way to Williamsburg, Virginia. I was so excited to see all of the historical sites because I teach US history to my students every year in 5th grade. It was so great to actually be able to see these places that I have been reading and teaching about for so many years! It was fun to see some of the first colonies and also some cool Revolutionary War battlefields. The town of Williamsburg was such a cute place and very charming. I loved going into all the darling shops and eating yummy food from great restaurants. Here are some pictures from our adventures!



Actual cannon from the Revolutionary War


Yorktown


The boys had to buy fake weapons and of course they carried them around with them all day long! Gotta love boys!


When the Robinson boys get together they love to relive their childhood! They were so funny and had many people staring wondering why boys in their twenties were playing with swords, a bow & arrow and tomahawk! It was quite the sight!


What a stud!


Beautiful Jamestown


Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington.


View from the back of Mount Vernon. George Wash sure had a great view!


George Washington's tomb


I learned so much about George Washington on this trip. He truly was an amazing man and a great American hero.


Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. What an amazing place!

Overall we had a great time in Williamsburg and came home with a new found respect for our country and how it began!